The Los Angeles Chargers are getting plenty of heat heading into Week 1, but not every NFL prediction has them headed for trouble.
Jim Harbaugh’s team has already run into injury issues, and there’s no shortage of skepticism from coaches and executives around the league. One set of bold predictions even painted a grim picture, suggesting disaster could follow in a way that might affect Harbaugh’s tenure. That’s a rough backdrop for a team that was riding a wave of optimism not long ago after the arrival of Mike McDaniel to help Justin Herbert and after what was viewed as a strong offseason.
Still, one national voice is sticking with the Chargers in a big way.
In bold predictions for The Athletic, Daniel Popper made the case that Los Angeles will finish with a top-five offense.
“The reason is new coordinator Mike McDaniel. McDaniel is going to get more out of quarterback Justin Herbert than any previous Chargers play caller,” Popper wrote.
“McDaniel is going to get more out of a young receiving group that includes Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. He is going to give Herbert a more reliable running game.
The upside here is one of the elite offenses in football.”
That outlook leans on the idea that McDaniel can squeeze more from Herbert than the Chargers have before, while also elevating a young pass-catching group. It also assumes the run game becomes steadier, giving Herbert a more complete operation to work with.
The offensive line remains a concern, especially on the interior. Los Angeles did bring in a starting center, but the rest of the moves drew mixed results, with Kayode Awosika and Cole Strange underwhelming as additions. The team also drafted Jake Slaughter, a center, to play guard, and now he has to shift back to center anyway.
Even so, there’s enough talent around Herbert to make the idea of a major offensive leap feel plausible. Omarion Hampton has top-10 back potential, the wide receiver room has promise, and the tight end group includes Oronde Gadsden, Charlie Kolar and David Njoku.
If the Chargers really do land inside the top five on offense, that would likely point to more than just pretty numbers. With a defense expected to stay steady through continuity, that kind of production should translate into wins and probably a playoff berth, if not more.
So while the prediction may not sound all that wild on paper, it stands out because so many others are already writing the Chargers off.
In Other News...
Chargers Are Taking A Chance On A Corner With Something To Prove
The Chargers have added another former first-round talent to the mix, signing cornerback Kaiir Elam to their practice squad as they look for ways to fortify the secondary. Elam has already bounced around a few NFL stops, spending time with the Bills, Cowboys, Titans and Chiefs, and now arrives in Los Angeles at a point where the path forward is less about pedigree than about earning trust and learning the defense.
For the Chargers, it is a low-risk move with a possible in-season payoff if Elam can translate his upside into steady work behind the scenes. He begins on the practice squad, but the opportunity is there for him to develop within the system and put himself in position for a bigger role if injuries or performance create an opening later on. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Week 1 Plan Just Got A New Cardinals Complication
The Chargers opening-week prep got a little more interesting with the Cardinals, because rookie running back Jeremiyah Love is moving closer to returning from the high-ankle sprain that sidelined him. Arizona kept Love on its initial 53-man roster, a sign the team believes his recovery is trending in the right direction, and head coach Mike LaFleur sounded encouraged about the possibility he could be ready for the season opener.
For Los Angeles, that adds another layer to a matchup that already figures to draw plenty of attention in September. The Cardinals still plan to release their official injury report later in the week, so the final answer is not in yet, but Loves status is now something the Chargers have to factor into their Week 1 planning. If he is cleared, Arizonas backfield depth gets a boost right when the season starts to tighten up. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers May Finally Get The Omarion Hampton Season They Need
Omarion Hampton enters his second NFL season with the Chargers carrying the kind of promise that was easy to see even in a rookie year cut short by injury. In nine games, he flashed as both a runner and receiver, piling up 545 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 192 receiving yards and a score through the air, enough to leave Los Angeles with a clear sense that there is more here once he gets a fuller runway.
Now the setup looks different. Mike McDaniel is in as the new offensive coordinator, and Hampton is expected to take on a bigger role in an offense that also includes Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell. For a Chargers team still trying to find a steadier identity on the ground, the real question is whether Hampton can turn those glimpses from last season into something much bigger this fall. [Read more 🡒]