OK, Chargers, show us what you\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n
You have new offensive and defensive coordinators. You have a new offensive scheme. You have a familiar defensive scheme. You have new offensive linemen<\/a>. You have offensive linemen returning to form after season-ending injuries last season. You have so much more to reveal.<\/p>\n You also have a strong sense that back-to-back 11-win seasons and consecutive AFC wild-card playoff defeats in Jim Harbaugh\u2019s first two seasons as coach weren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I high-five Joe every time I see him in the hallway,\u201d said Mike McDaniel, the Chargers\u2019 new offensive coordinator<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a stretch to say that McDaniel\u2019s game plan will play an outsized role in the Chargers\u2019 success or lack thereof in the coming season, which begins Sunday afternoon with a home date against the Arizona Cardinals. How well quarterback Justin Herbert picks it up and masters it will be critical<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Chargers offense preview: Is Mike McDaniel their top offseason acquisition?<\/a><\/p>\n The unveiling begins at 1:25 p.m., or thereabouts, depending on whether the Chargers get the ball first Sunday<\/a>. Herbert, McDaniel and all the Chargers\u2019 offensive players have been cagey when asked repeatedly about what to expect from them in their season-opening game.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, I don\u2019t know,\u201d wide receiver Ladd McConkey said, smiling broadly at a reporter\u2019s question about what to expect from the Chargers. \u201cI mean, I guess we\u2019ll have to wait and see. I thought you were on my side. Pffft. Trying to give away our game plan and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Tre\u2019 Harris, Derius Davis, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and rookie Brenen Thompson figure to be Herbert\u2019s top targets from the wide receiver spots. But don\u2019t overlook tight ends Charlie Kolar, David Njoku and Oronde Gadsden or running back Omarion Hampton.<\/p>\n The Chargers\u2019 offense figures to be a diverse attack, if nothing else.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re 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,\u201d McDaniel said. \u201cWhen you have multiple playmakers it feels, and they\u2019re making plays, the answers aren\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n In other words, the Chargers\u2019 offensive depth is a strength.<\/p>\n Not to be overlooked, Chris O\u2019Leary will make his debut as the Chargers\u2019 new defensive coordinator, a job every bit as challenging as McDaniel\u2019s gig. McDaniel has been asked to inject new life into the offense; O\u2019Leary\u2019s marching orders are to maintain the defense\u2019s lofty standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n Or improve upon them.<\/p>\n It won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n Jesse Minter left behind a sound game plan when he departed in the offseason to become the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 head coach after leading the Chargers to become the NFL\u2019s best in his first season, in 2024, and its ninth-stingiest in 2025. Expectations are high again for 2026, in O\u2019Leary\u2019s first season as an NFL play-caller.<\/p>\n