Omar Navarro

A handful of fresh faces stepped up to the podium Tuesday.

New Chargers offensive lineman Mekhi Becton, tight end Tyler Conklin and cornerback Donte Jackson met with local media members at The Bolt for Phase One of the voluntary offseason program.

Here are five takeaways from their media availability:

1. Becton fired up to be in LA

Mekhi Becton knew the Chargers were the spot for him.

"They're a team that is really close," Becton said. "Got a lot of pieces they welcomed me with open arms. It felt like home."

Becton, who spoke to reporters for the first time since signing with the Chargers last month, expressed his excitement with his new team during the first day of the offseason program.

There were many factors that led the big guard to Los Angeles one of them being none other than the Chargers Head Coach.

Even though Becton didn't play for Jim Harbaugh in college, Harbaugh did recruit Becton out of high school and got along with him quite well throughout the process.

Now meeting up years later during free agency, he said it felt like things picked up where they left off.

"He recruited me in high school so we had already seen each other and had known each other," Becton said. "That ice was already broken. It was like seeing a long-lost friend again."

Becton was then asked what attracted him about Harbaugh.

"He's a tenacious coach. He's a dog," Becton said. "He doesn't care about anything and just wants to win. You can tell just by the way he is."

Becton now joins the Chargers a year removed from moving inside to guard and helping the Eagles win a Super Bowl.

He thrived in his first year on the inside, posting an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 75.2 in the regular season, good for 16th among guards with at least 500 snaps.

He was effective as a run blocker, too, posting a PFF grade of 74.7, which was the 14th-best mark among all guards with 500-plus snaps.

He had a career year of sorts, but the 26-year-old credited it first and foremost to staying on the field.

"Yeah, some people could say that," Becton said. "I would say it was my best year because it was the most games I played.

"For me, yeah, it was my best year because I was healthy," Becton added.

Now, the guard has his sights set on being more than that for the Bolts and being something the team needs heading into 2025.

"I feel like they needed a few pieces," Becton said. "And I'm one of those pieces that can help out."

2. A lot of size on the right side

The right side of the Bolts offensive line is going to be imposing for opposing defenses.

Becton, who is 6-foot-7 and 363 pounds, is a force to be reckoned with on the interior alone. But he now gets to slot in next to Joe Alt, the No. 5 pick from a year ago who is 6-8 and 322 pounds.

Becton and Alt met for the first time on Tuesday during the first day of the voluntary offseason program.

And it's safe to say, the two got off on the right foot from the jump.

"We talked a little bit today. He's a funny dude," Becton said. "If you can make me laugh, I'm good. So we're good."

He later added: "Joe is really funny. He'll just say really slick stuff that only the person beside him can hear. I was catching on to it."

Alt, a 2024 PFWA All-Rookie selection, stood out as a rookie after switching over the right side of the line, where he found a lot of success in Year 1.

When asked about the young tackle, Becton was quick to note his familiarity with him.

"He's definitely good. I was a huge fan of his since he came out of college," Becton said. "He's a great player and I'm excited to see what his career upholds."

Becton even came up with his own unique explanation of what makes Alt so good.

"He's like a dancing bear," Becton said. "Really light on his feet. He's a good player, for sure."

A lot of reps and work will be put in between the two and the rest of the offensive line from now until things kick off in September.

But having that amount of size on the right side has Becton believing they could do something special.

"The sky is the limit," Becton said. "We have to go out there and figure out what each other likes and don't like. Get a relationship off the field so it's not just all football.

He added: "But the sky is the limit."

3. Conklin's fit on offense

There were a few things that stood out to Tyler Conklin from the jump.

One of them he noticed from the moment he stepped in the building.

"Being here in the short amount of time I've been here, and on my visit, the main thing that stuck out is the type of people in the building," Conklin said. "Whether it's upstairs, coaches, training staff. A lot of really good people all over the place. Everybody wants to be better and everyone wants to be their best self."

Not to mention the value and importance of being a tight end in this system and what it means.

"The offense is really tight end friendly," Conklin said.

The veteran tight end has been able to display what he brings in the pass game, hauling in at least 50 receptions each of the last four seasons.

He also takes a ton of pride as a blocker, which is prevalent for the position in the offense something he is well aware of.

"As a tight end, I always took pride in being a [complete] tight end," Conklin said. "Play in the pass game, play in the run game, play in pass protection. I never wanted to be a guy that can only do one thing.

"What my role is, that's going to be fun to go through OTAs, go through camp and see how it plays out," Conklin added. "But I'm excited for the opportunity."

Of course, the pass game element also means catching passes from Justin Herbert.

Conklin said he hadn't crossed paths with the Chargers franchise quarterback in the past but got to interact with him on Tuesday and is looking forward for what's to come.

But even watching from afar, he knows what No. 10 can bring to the offense.

"I think from watching him and watching the Chargers, what he can do on the football field I think is really special," Conklin said. "Obviously he's got the arm, he can make every throw on the field but also the athleticism he has, the ability he has to extend plays.

"He can do a lot of things that can elevate people around him," Conklin added.

4. Adding to impressive secondary

It might be Donte Jackson's first year with the Bolts, but the 29-year-old cornerback knows quite a bit about what kind of defense he's stepping into.

"Just was a huge fan of the secondary, huge fan of this defense and how these guys fly around," Jackson said. "I knew that I could get in here and make a whole lot of plays."

He also enters a secondary that is littered with talent, including a pair of younger players who stood out as rookies.

Jackson, who spent last season in Pittsburgh, spoke excitedly about Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart on Tuesday, noting the strong play from the pair in their first year in the NFL.

Not only does he get an opportunity to join a defense that he sees as a great fit, he's excited to enter the role of a veteran player to Still, Hart, or an "older statesman", as he put it.

"[Still], he's a positionless player, he can play outside or inside," Jackson said. "Loved what he did last year as a young [player], as a rookie. Same with Cam.

"Cam is a guy who just comes out, you could put him in the boundary, you can put him in the field, play him in zone, in man," Jackson added. "Long arms, long limbs."

Still and Hart were crucial parts of the Chargers defense last season in what turned out to be an impressive secondary.

Led by Pro Bowler Derwin James, Jr., who was drafted the same year as the cornerback, Jackson was impressed by the play of the safeties behind in Elijah Molden and Alohi Gilman.

Now, Jackson is ready to fit right in to a defense that caught his eye with their play last year.

"Everybody working together, everybody playing their role," Jackson said. "The way the safeties and those guys move around, everybody is basically positionless. When you watch [Molden] and [Gilman] get down and we all know about [James] and how he moves around. It forces the offense to make a lot of mistakes.

"It's a young group," Jackson added. "A bunch of positionless players and everybody banding together, playing dominant defense. They were one of the best defenses in the league last year. Super excited."

5. Day 1 of Phase One

The Chargers opened Phase One of the voluntary offseason program by making their way to the field.

At the forefront of it all at The Bolt on Tuesday? None other than Ben Herbert.

The Chargers Executive Director of Player Performance, now in Year 2 with the Chargers, was his usual self by leading players through the workouts on the field and in the weight room.

Conklin said although he didn't know Ben Herbert personally, he had heard quite a bit of good things about him over the years.

"I already knew a lot about Coach Herb through people," Conklin said. "A lot of times in Phase One, I'll stay home and keep my training regiment but I heard so many good things about Coach Herb and the people in this building that I wanted to come back."

And right away, Conklin and his new teammates noticed the importance of what he brings to the table.

"Being back last week, what he does, the intensity he has, the intentionality he has of every single little workout being a certain way and being able to do it from an intentionality standpoint," Conklin said. "I think that's what makes teams great so I'm excited to keep working with him."