Chargers poised to be big winners thanks to 1 key offseason move

February 17, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Chargers poised to be big winners thanks to 1 key offseason move originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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The Los Angeles Chargers are a difficult team to get a proper read on in 2026.

With Justin Herbert, naturally, the Chargers will be in the thick of playoff contention, but there are skeptics about what Herbert can do in the postseason, given his 0-3 record.

Defensively, how the Chargers will be without Jesse Minter is unknown. With the Denver Broncos emerging and the Kansas City Chiefs not expected to be bad again, L.A. has its work cut out to keep its recent form line of 10+ wins in the last two seasons going.

But Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame has one reason for hope in 2026 for the Chargers, and it all centers on one appointment made this offseason.

"The addition of coordinator Mike McDaniel should open up the passing game while creating a more diverse run game, as we saw for years in Miami, helping Justin Herbert get over his playoff hump," Verderame wrote.

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Is McDaniel the difference-maker for L.A?

That will be the hope, and you can make the case that in 2026, Herbert will have the "best" offensive coordinator he's had since entering the league.

We saw what McDaniel did with Tua Tagovailoa and the run game in Miami, so the hope is that he can bring something similar to Herbert and the Chargers.

If he can, then expect a very different-looking offense in 2026, and it might be one that won't bore fans. We might see Herbert finally live up to his potential.

Yes, there's a lot of ifs here, but the potential upside to McDaniel being in Herbert's ear will be a fascinating watch.

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