The Chargers didn’t make a splashy offseason statement with veteran additions, but they did make one move that could end up mattering more than all the rest.
Joe Hortiz kept the roster moving without going overboard, retaining potential free agents Khalil Mack, Denzel Perryman, Trevor Penning and Tony Jefferson. He also brought in Tyler Biadasz, Cole Strange, Keaton Mitchell, David Njoku and Charlie Kolar, while April’s draft added eight more players, including four offensive linemen. That group gives Los Angeles a fresh look up front, with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt needing to stay healthy for it all to work.
Still, when The Athletic NFL Staff asked its 32 team writers to identify the most intriguing newcomer to each franchise in 2026, Chargers writer Daniel Popper didn’t go with one of the new linemen or a veteran upgrade. He went with the new offensive coordinator.
Mike McDaniel, who spent the last four seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, is now the man charged with pushing Jim Harbaugh’s offense forward and getting more out of Justin Herbert. Popper put it plainly: “Despite entering free agency among the league leaders in cap space,” explained Popper, “the Chargers did not make a big splash this offseason. The decisive move, in their eyes, was hiring McDaniel to replace Greg Roman as Jim Harbaugh’s offensive play caller.”
That choice makes sense when you look at what the Chargers have been on offense. Harbaugh has guided the team to back-to-back 11-6 seasons, but the attack has not exactly scared anyone. Greg Roman’s unit disappeared in both playoff exits, a 32-12 loss to the Texans and a 16-3 loss to the Patriots, with Los Angeles scoring just one touchdown across those two games.
Popper also pointed to the real pressure point for McDaniel. “More than anything, McDaniel is in Los Angeles to get the most out of Justin Herbert in the biggest moments.
Herbert is 0-3 in the playoffs in his career, including first-round clunkers in each of the past two seasons. How McDaniel fares will tell the story of this Chargers season.”
Herbert’s January struggles were hard to miss. In the wild card losses at Houston and New England, he completed 33 of 63 passes for 401 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions, all of them against the Texans, with one returned for a score. He was sacked 10 times in those two games and lost one of two fumbles in the defeat at Foxborough.
For a Chargers team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2018, the payoff from McDaniel’s arrival could be enormous. If he can help Herbert clean up those postseason “clunkers,” the whole season starts to look different.
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