The Official 2026 Chargers Season Discussion - (0-1)

[Topcat]

Becton has them Jared Gaither vibes

Weird...I just came to the same conclusion, then saw yer post...

[beachcomber]

IDL * think Eboigbe 'n Jamaree are on the uptick/swing, that Teair holds it steady, and for the duration of his agreement/contract, and that Dalvin is a drop off from Da'Shawn, albeit still a contributor

Edge * think Akheem is a large step up from Odafe, that Tuli is still on the uptick/swing, and that Khalil holds steady, and for another coupla few years @that, and.... if Bud was held back by injury last go 'round, is it possible that his contribution is a bit larger/more valuable for this stanza ??

ILB * think Daiyan will be on the rebound and recover nicely from his emotionally sunk year of last, and that Marlowe Wax is our X factor here, as if he patiently works his craft, he will close the year as our solid @LB alongside Henley, and given that O'Leary will likely use Phillips more as a rush LB, and that Dye will remain rock steady for us as a situational coverage LB

SAF * w/James primarily a slot corner, thinkin' that the all of Molden, Unc 'n Mickens will all pretty much hold steady, and that Genesis will give this unit a bump in pass defense, and that O'Leary will have the luxury of platooning/rotating the latter two based on run or pass emphasis

Corners * it's a contract year for Donte, so expecting another good year outta him, and that Tarheeb 'n Cam are both still on the uptick/swing, and that Shelley is a wash w/Nikko from last season

so, would actually be fairly surprised @much if any dropoff on the defensive side of the ball.... ??

[beachcomber]

despite all the Gro 'n Devlin bashing, and of which was prolly warranted, they and like most others who take it on the nose in the perennial aftermath, were still perfectly competent to run an NFL O, and rather just got taken down 'n out by injuries, and so.... the song remains the same:

QB * Herb had his best year, @least stat wise under the leadership of Vince's grandson, and needs to return to form, or perhaps exceed most every stat to date.... 500 completions, 700 attempts, 70 percent completion percentage, 5k yards, 10 yards/completion, 40 TDs, less than 30 sacks, a QBR of over 70, and a rating of over 100, and guessing the lone static stat being that he will remain in double figures for INTs, and of which is fine, as never air it out, never in the end zone, and.... they say freedom begins @the altar, and so the story is that he will actually be more free to concentrate on football and not be distracted by the menagerie of which is the field of starlets after any heretofore said Golden God in the City of Angels, and.... will personally volunteer that he needs to achieve his career low in carries/scrambles, and most of all.... stay upright for the duration, and saving his best for last in the SB.

RB * still think we are vulnerable in not replacing Najee, and think again that we are vulnerable in counting on Keaton as RB2, and will again personally volunteer, would like to see the both of Desrosiers (Mitchell) and Jaret Patterson see the field some, and in addition to Kimani, as think we are pushing our luck for the if and when Omarion turns into any kind of workhorse in the backfield, as think he will blow up, and 'tis more the matter of also keeping him available for the duration and well into any playoff push and/or SB run.... aka don't get greedy w/OH.

TE * don't think McUltra is dialed in as to the best mix of this trinity @tight end quite yet, and as think Kolar is a tad overrated in terms of expectations as a pass catcher, and ditto some for Njoku, and that Oronde is being undersold, and behind the notion that he needs to be some kind of inline blocker in McD's O, and.... think it's ok if the aforementioned start out as the leaders in the clubhouse and that Gadsden quietly works his way back into the rotation and becomes a breadwinner in the playoffs and thru out any SB run.... we have talent here, and fully expect McD to maximize the such between the three of 'em, and by season's end.

OT * Rashawn makes me nervous, and hands down the biggest factor in any SB push, is player availability/health, and have said many a time, PR was no better than the health/talent of his LT.... if we have the one or both of Slater/Alt thru out this run, think we'll be ok, and.... have said my peace on Pips, and wish him and Big Jim the best, and was also wary/against the drafting of Burke, and will gladly be surprised there if so, and still think that Penning is useful as a run blocker and can be used in some creative packages as well, and whether @RT or OL6.

OG * gonna be a transitional year here, and am a bit worried for McDaniel here, as think we're a little light re: sand in the pants here, as perhaps Kayode can hold it down, or better yet Branson Taylor returns and surprises some, and think we're gonna have to slug it out w/Strange as he seems to be inked in @guard, and so longterm, will not be surprised if Slaughter returns to guard @some point in the foreseeable future, and that we still draft/bring in IOL before this unit finds its level (in years to come).

OC * Biadasz is a significant loss, and hopefully not the setback that Becton was, and hopefully Slaughter fills in admirably and builds his case by SB time as a steadying force on the Oline, as personally would prefer more of an anchor in the pivot w/these agility prone OGs, and of which there are some in the upcoming draft or coupla few.

personal opinion is that this O is on a prove it deal, and hopefully McUltra is up to the task as he seems to relish the muster here, and as injuries more than talent derailed our last efforts, and as there are plenty more ?s on O than on D this go 'round, and so.... when we hit the proverbial bump in the road and/or our season's low point, we might have to depend/lean on a Branson Taylor and/or Travis Burke, and which could well be the deciding factor in playoff seeding, and quite possibly better than any Deculus calculus or Hart felt transplant.... only as strong as our weakest link.

[Fouts2herbert]

Someone should take another shot on Mekhi Becton

Becton is 27. That alone separates him from most recognizable players sitting unsigned in September.

The Jets chose him 11th overall in 2020 because human beings his size aren’t supposed to move like he did. Then came injuries, conditioning concerns and years of uneven football. His move to guard in Philadelphia briefly changed the conversation before a disappointing season with the Chargers sent his value crashing again.

Fine. Make him a backup.

Becton has played guard and tackle. He’s 6-foot-7 and weighs more than 360 pounds. He may never become a dependable starter, but plenty of teams employ reserve linemen with half his physical ability.

There’s no need to romanticize this one. Give him a minimum contract, make him compete and cut him if the same problems return. The potential payoff beats cycling through another anonymous lineman who has already established his ceiling.

Do we know for a fact that no one has called Becton or that no one wants to sign him for a vet minimum prove it deal? It takes two to tango...Becton has to want to play too...

Like you said, he came into the league 11th overall, that means he received a decent sized signing bonus after getting drafted, then he busted in NY, then signed a prove it deal with Philly, then he signed a 2 year 20 mil contract with the Chargers after not having a huge market, and then he got cut after one of the two years or basically after making 10 mil for the 2025 season...is it possible that he doesn't want to play for vet minimum or another one year cheap prove it deal?

I have no inside information, just speculating, but with him already having sustained considerable damage to his legs in his career, I wonder if the reason he remains unsigned might be because he hasn't gotten the kind of offer that makes it worthwhile for him to continue his career? Why continue dealing with the knee issues by continuing to play which would only make them worse and worse, especially if he doesn't feel like the offers are worth the trouble?

[Ghost of Quacksaw]

Would u say Becton kind of pulled a Gaither?

???

The situations seem pretty different, to me.

Gaither claimed he was in so much pain-- from an 'injury' that the medical staff couldn't find-- that he couldn't play. And he didn't.

Becton played the majority of the time. Not well, by any stretch, but that's true of ANY of the Chargers' O-linemen over the final half of the 2025 season.

IMO, if a player "quits" on the field, he'll get mauled, trampled and most likely seriously injured. Becton stunk, but I don't see evidence that he *quit* in the sense that Gaither appeared to have.

[dmac_bolt]

based on nuthin', other than it's a thought that has some appeal to me....

isn't Joe less of an injury concern than Rashawn ??

Rashawn is obviously an upgrade over Kayode, and w/the thought that a move inside might lessen the load on his injury concerns ??

think Jake is a wash w/Tyler by season's end.

Cole is Cole is McD's boy howdy.

and guessin' Big Jim would start Trey here, albeit not sure Burke wouldn't be on a developmental arc to succeed there once Pips suffers his inevitable nagging dose of injuries 'n ailments.

and so, guess the query is: do you prefer Awosika @LG, or Pips/Burke @RT ?? which combo makes us the better Oline/team ??

I’m not an orthopedist or even a kinesiologist but I’ve still not bought into the theory that he has less injury risk at OG. if his injury risk is direct power force on the patella, he’d face bigger stronger more powerful DTs inside and more direct force than he would on the outside with DEs and OLBs. or at least i can theorize that opposite theory.

I think its probably a wash and relatively equal risk at OT or OG. He is all pro caliber LT - I disagree that players of that caliber are just easy mix n match replaceable pieces like name tags on a white board.

But I could be wrong lol … and I was impressed with Burke for what we have seen so far mostly against scrubs in vanilla game plans on both sides of the ball. He’s got a ways to go before he can carry Rashawn’s jock imo.

[richpjr]

There is zero chance Slater will ever be moved to guard.

[CanadianBoltFan]

For those that missed this....here is a really good article from Eric Smith on Chargers.com

Two things stood out for me: 1 How excited we can all be to see Herbert in the McDaniel offense 2 It gives a feel on the toll last season took on Justin Herbert and how critical it was that the organization made a significant move like the McDaniel hiring at this stage in Herbert's career

BOLT UP!

https://www.chargers.com/news/justin-herbert-mike-mcdaniel-nfl-2026

[Factotum]

For those that missed this....here is a really good article from Eric Smith on Chargers.com

Two things stood out for me: 1 How excited we can all be to see Herbert in the McDaniel offense 2 It gives a feel on the toll last season took on Justin Herbert and how critical it was that the organization made a significant move like the McDaniel hiring at this stage in Herbert's career

BOLT UP!

https://www.chargers.com/news/justin...aniel-nfl-2026

I am really hoping that McD comes up with the sort of scripted set plays in the first few series when the Chargers are on O, so that we don't end up with those deflating 3s and outs of these past couple of years. IMO, no point in having #10 show off his canon or anything like that in those first few series if it is not needed or merited.

[electricgold]

despite all the Gro 'n Devlin bashing, and of which was prolly warranted, they and like most others who take it on the nose in the perennial aftermath, were still perfectly competent to run an NFL O, and rather just got taken down 'n out by injuries, and so.... the song remains the same:

QB * Herb had his best year, @least stat wise under the leadership of Vince's grandson, and needs to return to form, or perhaps exceed most every stat to date.... 500 completions, 700 attempts, 70 percent completion percentage, 5k yards, 10 yards/completion, 40 TDs, less than 30 sacks, a QBR of over 70, and a rating of over 100, and guessing the lone static stat being that he will remain in double figures for INTs, and of which is fine, as never air it out, never in the end zone, and.... they say freedom begins @the altar, and so the story is that he will actually be more free to concentrate on football and not be distracted by the menagerie of which is the field of starlets after any heretofore said Golden God in the City of Angels, and.... will personally volunteer that he needs to achieve his career low in carries/scrambles, and most of all.... stay upright for the duration, and saving his best for last in the SB.

RB * still think we are vulnerable in not replacing Najee, and think again that we are vulnerable in counting on Keaton as RB2, and will again personally volunteer, would like to see the both of Desrosiers (Mitchell) and Jaret Patterson see the field some, and in addition to Kimani, as think we are pushing our luck for the if and when Omarion turns into any kind of workhorse in the backfield, as think he will blow up, and 'tis more the matter of also keeping him available for the duration and well into any playoff push and/or SB run.... aka don't get greedy w/OH.

TE * don't think McUltra is dialed in as to the best mix of this trinity @tight end quite yet, and as think Kolar is a tad overrated in terms of expectations as a pass catcher, and ditto some for Njoku, and that Oronde is being undersold, and behind the notion that he needs to be some kind of inline blocker in McD's O, and.... think it's ok if the aforementioned start out as the leaders in the clubhouse and that Gadsden quietly works his way back into the rotation and becomes a breadwinner in the playoffs and thru out any SB run.... we have talent here, and fully expect McD to maximize the such between the three of 'em, and by season's end.

OT * Rashawn makes me nervous, and hands down the biggest factor in any SB push, is player availability/health, and have said many a time, PR was no better than the health/talent of his LT.... if we have the one or both of Slater/Alt thru out this run, think we'll be ok, and.... have said my peace on Pips, and wish him and Big Jim the best, and was also wary/against the drafting of Burke, and will gladly be surprised there if so, and still think that Penning is useful as a run blocker and can be used in some creative packages as well, and whether @RT or OL6.

OG * gonna be a transitional year here, and am a bit worried for McDaniel here, as think we're a little light re: sand in the pants here, as perhaps Kayode can hold it down, or better yet Branson Taylor returns and surprises some, and think we're gonna have to slug it out w/Strange as he seems to be inked in @guard, and so longterm, will not be surprised if Slaughter returns to guard @some point in the foreseeable future, and that we still draft/bring in IOL before this unit finds its level (in years to come).

OC * Biadasz is a significant loss, and hopefully not the setback that Becton was, and hopefully Slaughter fills in admirably and builds his case by SB time as a steadying force on the Oline, as personally would prefer more of an anchor in the pivot w/these agility prone OGs, and of which there are some in the upcoming draft or coupla few.

personal opinion is that this O is on a prove it deal, and hopefully McUltra is up to the task as he seems to relish the muster here, and as injuries more than talent derailed our last efforts, and as there are plenty more ?s on O than on D this go 'round, and so.... when we hit the proverbial bump in the road and/or our season's low point, we might have to depend/lean on a Branson Taylor and/or Travis Burke, and which could well be the deciding factor in playoff seeding, and quite possibly better than any Deculus calculus or Hart felt transplant.... only as strong as our weakest link.

I reject the notion that we are in a transitional year at Oline!

this is year three with Hortiz plugging away at the offensive line! We've had plenty of cap space and draft capital to improve this area especially since protecting Herbert has been a main goal for the last three years.

If we don't have an average to good oline this year and lose game one in the playoffs or don't make the playoffs because our oline is once again at the bottom of the league. Well I don't want to go there going into game-1 but you get the thought...

[Boltjolt]

Do we know for a fact that no one has called Becton or that no one wants to sign him for a vet minimum prove it deal? It takes two to tango...Becton has to want to play too...

Like you said, he came into the league 11th overall, that means he received a decent sized signing bonus after getting drafted, then he busted in NY, then signed a prove it deal with Philly, then he signed a 2 year 20 mil contract with the Chargers after not having a huge market, and then he got cut after one of the two years or basically after making 10 mil for the 2025 season...is it possible that he doesn't want to play for vet minimum or another one year cheap prove it deal?

I have no inside information, just speculating, but with him already having sustained considerable damage to his legs in his career, I wonder if the reason he remains unsigned might be because he hasn't gotten the kind of offer that makes it worthwhile for him to continue his career? Why continue dealing with the knee issues by continuing to play which would only make them worse and worse, especially if he doesn't feel like the offers are worth the trouble?

The fact that even Philly didnt reach out says something since he was a big part of Barkley getting 2k rushing yards. No we do not know who or if anyone called but seems pretty telling unless he wanted too much money to return. Which that in itself is telling. He really dont want to play?

Regardless, glad he isnt our problem anymore.

[Boltjolt]

For those that missed this....here is a really good article from Eric Smith on Chargers.com

Two things stood out for me: 1 How excited we can all be to see Herbert in the McDaniel offense 2 It gives a feel on the toll last season took on Justin Herbert and how critical it was that the organization made a significant move like the McDaniel hiring at this stage in Herbert's career

BOLT UP!

https://www.chargers.com/news/justin...aniel-nfl-2026

I posted this yesterday in the MM thread. Its a good read and should get us excited for whats to come.

I also want to add that Shane Day in 2023 was in Houston. That was Strouds rookie year and really his only good year. Day left to come back to LA upon Herberts request if it was possible for Jim to bring him back......and he did. Its why im excited to have both he and MM for Herbert while Stroud has taken a step back without Day.