Kellen Moore says Air Coryell offense will ‘absolutely’ influence 2023 Chargers system

On Wednesday, the Chargers media met with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for the first time over a virtual call. Questions posed to him ranged from the idea of working with Justin Herbert to how his time has been getting to know head coach Brandon Staley, but the one question that drew my attention the most was when NFL Network’s Matt “Money” Smith asked Moore to describe his core offensive beliefs when it comes to constructing a new system in Los Angeles.

“We’re going to build a 2023 LA Chargers offense,” Moore said emphatically.

“Will you be able to see the Air Coryell/Jason Garrett side? Absolutely. Will you see the West Coast and Mike McCarthy? Absolutely. We’ll keep things in place here that Justin (Herbert) feels really, really good about and we’ll explore. I think naturally, just because you have coached with some coaches doesn’t mean you’re greatly influenced by those guys.”

Moore went on to note how much he loves watching the younger head coaches in the NFL, especially the ones who are calling plays for their team, as well.

“I love watching those guys and studying their offenses and I hope I can incorporate some of that. I think it will be a beautiful blend.”

Now while the video didn’t include the names of those coaches he was talking about, plenty of names still come to mind. The Bengals’ Dan Pitcher and the Lions’ Ben Johnson are two examples, both of whom either still are, or were, some of the hottest commodities during this year’s hiring cycle.

Legendary Chargers coach Don Coryell helped revolutionize the passing game behind the arm of Dan Fouts and the hands of Kellen Winslow and Charlie Joiner. It was predicated on intermediate and deep passing concepts paired with a power run game.

After a 2022 season that saw the Chargers do everything they could to gain six yards through the air every other play, anything that resembles the Air Coryell system probably sounds like a dream come true.

Only time will tell how this offense will end up looking six months from now, but that won’t stop all of us from getting excited about it in the meantime.