OK, Chargers, show us what you’ve got.
You have new offensive and defensive coordinators. You have a new offensive scheme. You have a familiar defensive scheme. You have new offensive linemen. You have offensive linemen returning to form after season-ending injuries last season. You have so much more to reveal.
You also have a strong sense that back-to-back 11-win seasons and consecutive AFC wild-card defeats in Jim Harbaugh’s first two seasons as coach weren’t good enough for what appears to be a deeper, more talented and more resourceful roster put on the field by Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz during a busy offseason.
“That’s why I high-five Joe every time I see him in the hallway,” said Mike McDaniel, the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator.
It’s not a stretch to say that McDaniel’s game plan will play an outsized role in the Chargers’ success or lack thereof in the coming season, which begins Sunday with a home date against the Arizona Cardinals. How well quarterback Justin Herbert picks it up and masters it will be critical.
McDaniel revealed only glimpses of what could be in store for opposing defenses during three preseason games. The quick-strike, motion-oriented offense that performed so well for the better part of his four seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins was hidden from view.
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The unveiling begins at 1:25 p.m., or thereabouts, depending on whether the Chargers get the ball first Sunday. Herbert, McDaniel and all the Chargers’ offensive players have been cagey when asked repeatedly about what to expect from them in their season-opening game.
“Um, I don’t know,” wide receiver Ladd McConkey said, smiling broadly at a reporter’s question about what to expect from the Chargers. “I mean, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I thought you were on my side. Pffft. Trying to give away our game plan and stuff.”
McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Tre’ Harris, Derius Davis, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and rookie Brenen Thompson figure to be Herbert’s top targets from the wide receiver spots. But don’t overlook tight ends Charlie Kolar, David Njoku and Oronde Gadsden or running back Omarion Hampton.
The Chargers’ offense figures to be a diverse attack, if nothing else.
“You’re thinking through the distribution of the ball so that the greatest Chargers offense is the one that all the skill sets and all the tools are able to contribute, and (opposing) teams feel that, too,” McDaniel said. “When you have multiple playmakers it feels, and they’re making plays, the answers aren’t as quick to come to your mind (in the days leading up to a game). Trying to keep everybody involved is my job, for sure.”
In other words, the Chargers’ offensive depth is a strength.
Not to be overlooked, Chris O’Leary will make his debut as the Chargers’ new defensive coordinator, a job every bit as challenging as McDaniel’s gig. McDaniel has been asked to inject new life into the offense; O’Leary’s marching orders are to maintain the defense’s lofty standards.
Or improve upon them.
It won’t be easy.
Jesse Minter left behind a sound game plan when he departed in the offseason to become the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach after leading the Chargers to become the NFL’s best in his first season, in 2024, and its ninth-stingiest in 2025. Expectations are high again for 2026, in O’Leary’s first season as an NFL play-caller.
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O’Leary, a former Chargers safeties coach who spent last season as the defensive coordinator at the University of Western Michigan, has earned the trust of his players. Those who knew him as safeties coach with the Chargers know he hasn’t changed in the least since then.
“Man, there’s a lot of things that stand out,” said outside linebacker Khalil Mack, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection entering his 13th NFL season, his fifth with the Chargers. “Ultimately, I feel like he’s just poised, cool and collected. But when it’s time to turn out, I feel like he’s one of us, so he’s one of us and it feels like he want to go out on the field himself. So, that’s unique to him.”
CHARGERS (0-0) vs. CARDINALS (0-0)
When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/Radio: Ch. 2; 640 AM/103.9/89.3 FM (Spanish)