The Chargers’ 0-5 start has forced an ugly conversation in Los Angeles: if this season keeps sliding, should the team begin eyeing the draft instead of chasing a comeback that may already be gone?
Sunday’s loss to the Broncos pushed the Chargers deeper into trouble, and the bigger concern is how little has gone right on offense. The unit has been stuck in neutral, the offensive line has struggled, the receivers have not delivered consistently, and Justin Herbert is in the middle of one of the roughest stretches of his career.
That is why Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith keeps coming up as the dream prize. Smith is viewed as one of the most exciting draft prospects ahead, and at around 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, he brings the kind of size, physicality and playmaking ability that would fit exactly what this offense lacks. For Herbert, a receiver who can win contested throws, separate downfield and create after the catch would be a major addition.
Smith could be the type of player who changes an offense for years, but there are real hurdles before anyone starts penciling him in for Los Angeles. The Chargers would still have to land a top pick, other teams would be in the mix, and there are questions about whether Smith will even be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft because he would need to satisfy the NFL’s eligibility rules.
That is where the Chargers’ situation gets tricky. There is a clear difference between accepting that a season is slipping away and actually trying to lose. The team should not be in the business of tanking, and the coaching staff still has to approach every game with the goal of winning.
Herbert needs reps to get back on track. Younger players need development.
And the organization still has to find out whether its current offensive plan can work. Losing on purpose helps none of that.
But reality also matters. If the Chargers keep playing like they have, a top draft slot could arrive on its own.
Sunday’s game was another reminder of a team getting in its own way, with turnovers and offensive breakdowns once again doing damage. If the losses keep stacking up, the front office would be smart to look beyond the immediate panic and start thinking about the roster it wants heading into 2026 and beyond.
The Chargers are not mathematically out of the playoff picture, but 0-5 leaves almost no margin for error. A turnaround is still possible, but it has to start fast.
For now, the mandate should be simple: keep trying to win, get Herbert back on track, and figure out what this team really has. If the season keeps unraveling, a premium draft pick could end up being the one bright spot in an otherwise miserable year.
And if that pick puts Jeremiah Smith within reach, Los Angeles would suddenly have a very different kind of offseason to look forward to.
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Chargers Collapse Is Putting Ownership Under A Brutal Spotlight
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What makes the frustration linger is that this is not just about one bad month or a few close losses. Around the team, the conversation has drifted toward ownership and the broader budget approach, with the sense that the current path leaves little margin for improvement and even less patience for the people tasked with fixing it. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Trade Talk Shows What Chargers Fans Are Really Debating
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For the Chargers, though, the conversation appears to be more noise than real negotiation. Herbert has a no-trade clause, he recently signed a five-year extension through 2029, and the organization has made clear it has never discussed moving him and has no intention of doing so. Still, the buzz says plenty about the tension fans live with: when a team has a quarterback this talented, every hypothetical trade offer becomes a referendum on how much faith should be placed in the player who is supposed to define the next era. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Collapse Has Put An Unthinkable Justin Herbert Debate In Play
An 0-5 start has turned the Chargers season into something much bigger than a bad October, because the losing has now pushed the conversation from short-term fixes to the future of Justin Herbert. Los Angeles has spent heavily on coaching and player personnel around him, building the roster with the expectation that the quarterback would be the constant, the face of the franchise and the player everything else was supposed to support.
Justin Herbert is 28 and still under contract for four more years, which is why any talk of a reset still sounds jarring. Even so, the way this season has unraveled has left room for an uncomfortable question that did not exist when the year began: if the struggles keep going, could the Chargers eventually consider a much larger overhaul, one that changes the direction of the entire team? [Read more 🡒]