Chargers 2026 Outlook: McDaniel & Harbaugh's New Game Plan
Justin Herbert could re-enter MVP talks with Mike McDaniel now leading the offense and calling the plays, boosting the Chargers' 2026 playoff chances.
Video Transcript
How about the Chargers?
You know, they get Mike McDaniel in there as their new offensive coordinator.
They've got Jim Harbaugh, who I think is just a winner everywhere he goes.
I call Jim Harbaugh Adam.
He's a fist with a mouth on it.
That's the kind of guy you get there when you're talking Jim Harbaugh.
What are you, what are your expectations with that Charger team this year, especially with those coaches in the building?
Fascinating division, you know, across the board.
I, I think it's crazy that so many people just assume Kansas City is going to win this thing when you have a rebuilt, remodeled Chargers team right behind it, obviously on the odds board, a Broncos team that did what it did last year, and even a Raiders team that probably isn't gonna be a playoff team, but I think at least once it gets Mendoza in there is going to be maybe fun to watch, maybe a little frisky, for lack of a better word.
But in terms of the Chargers, I like this team a lot.
I, I really do, but there's no doubt, and it's not just Harbaugh, really it's Herbert, there's a team that has things to prove.
You know, on the offensive side, beyond the quarterback, we'll get to him, Ladd McConkie was amazing as a rookie.
Last year, not so much.
Quentin Johnston took steps forward last year, kind of disappeared at that point.
Orrin J. Gadsden was someone that really sort of came on intermittently as a rookie.
It was inconsistent, but again, I'm not beating him up for it.
He was a rookie.
I think there's real opportunity for growth here in this second year.
And injuries really plagued that team last year because Amarian Hampton, who was drafted to be the Bell Cow back, I mean, they just had It was week after week, a different running back was getting hurt, and the offensive line was shattered.
I mean, by the end of the season, there was no protection for Herbert whatsoever.
But again, it all comes back to the quarterback because this is someone that we just wanna-- We, you know, like in "Mean Girls," like quit trying to make fetch happen.
We keep trying to make Herbert happen.
Herbert has been around for seven years at this point in time, and he can have really dynamic, incredible regular seasons and perennially be in the MVP conversation, and the playoffs roll around and the guy is a ghost.
He's 0 and 3.
He has never won a playoff game.
Last year got embarrassed, only put up three points against the Patriots in that outing.
You know, you think back to four turnovers against the Texans, blowing a massive lead, more on the defense than it was him.
But that first playoff game, how badly that went against the Jaguars.
Things have just not gone well ultimately come playoff team when, time when it needs to go well for Herbert.
And people is-- If, if things go south, you know, if things are off to a slow start, you know, you know how this works.
I mean, I listened to years of it with Tom Brady and Gisele Bndchen.
It-- People are gonna start pointing at Justin Herbert and say, "It's Madison Beer.
He's distracted.
It's, it's the engagement.
This is a problem.
Get her out of his life."
You know, I think they're gonna be a good team.
I think he's going to be really solid.
I think he does need to avoid some of the noise because it is going to follow even in a place like LA, which is more of a superficial fan market, you know, a little bit of a bandwagon market.
But Mike McDaniel honestly may be their most important off-season acquisition because while I never really had great respect for him as a head coach, even when things were going well at the beginning there with the Dolphins, there's no question the resume speaks for itself as a play caller and offensive coordinator and what he did with San Francisco and now what he hopes to do with LA.
So assuming Harbaugh truly just gives him the reins, and I believe he's doing so, I think this team could put up a lot of points, be a lot of fun to watch, and the question will be, can the defense be as good as it was?
Yeah, I almost took, Justin Herbert's man card away with the footsies on the sidelines there with his girlfriend there at camp.
So again here, we'll move over here to the, Hammond Bears, and let's go to the Hammond Bears here and get Chicago.
What do you think that looks like, 2.0 with Ben Johnson and with Caleb Williams?
Well, I don't know if it's great that you've got the head coach coming out and saying, you know, "Our, our goal is to break the NFL's single season scoring record."
You know, he's worried about putting up damn near 40 points a game, and I appreciate sort of talking big, dreaming big, but like how about a championship?
How, how about that's the goal?
You know, the Bears last year were a blast, right?
They were You know, it was like the Bucs two years ago.
It was the Bears last year.
It was the Cardiac Bears.
It was the team they just, you know, fourth quarter you could never count them out.
They were always interesting, always dangerous.
There was just no quit.
Caleb Williams certainly got a lot better under Ben Johnson than he was previously.
The, you know, the completion percentage was down.
That was still a little bit of a problem, but he was getting rid of the ball.
He took far fewer sacks.
He was You know, the, the yardage was up, the touchdowns were up, and I think he's going to continue to grow, as you would hope and expect the number one pick does.
You've got a lot of talent.
Loveland, you know, in terms of the pass catchers, kind of like Vegas, right?
You know, you're talking about the weapons in Vegas, starts with Brock Bowers.
You're talking about the weapons in Arizona, starts with Trey McBride.
Well, you talk about the weapons in Chicago, at least in terms of pass catchers, it starts with Loveland and what he can continue to do.
But I like Edonsay.
I like Burden.
I, I don't think it's gonna be massively problematic for them losing Moore, as good as I expect him to be in Buffalo.
You know, Swift obviously is solid.
I do worry a little bit entering the year about the injury to Kyle Munongai because as a rookie, he was such a vital part of that offense.
I mean, he sort of quietly put up, you know, basically 1,000 total yards between what he did in the rushing and receiving game, and you want to make sure that you can kind of time share that thing, split that backfield in the way that made it so successful last year.
But the offense is going to be the offense.
The question is obviously, can it get stops?
And, you know, it's a, it's a winnable division, but it's not an easy one with, you know, the Lions expected to take a big step forward.
Everyone's always gonna respect the Packers, you know, especially when Micah Parsons gets back.
And, you know, I, I don't know.
We'll see what Kyler Murray can do with the Vikings.
