The Official 2026 Chargers Season Discussion - (0-2)

[wu-dai clan]

Chargers will be one of the top 5 teams in the vertical passing game this year -- health willing of MWill, Harris, KLS and Gadsden.

Herbert is one of the best QBs in the NFL in play action and downfield passing (20+ yards)

The run game will be needed to improve but for the Chargers to win - they will be vertical this year.

Yeah I just read Popper.
He has KLS, with his deep threat chops, and Conklin, sure handed and with some depth of target, as immediate impact players.

The only question is how will we choose to line up, which packages ?

Nice.

[21&500]

Is it Herbert's MVP year yet?

[Lone Bolt]

Yeah I just read Popper.
He has KLS, with his deep threat chops, and Conklin, sure handed and with some depth of target, as immediate impact players.

The only question is how will we choose to line up, which packages ?

Nice.

Me and Popper agree...that's rare...

[Bolt4Knob]

Me and Popper agree...that's rare...

I just want to get frigging vertical
I saw quick clip of Ben Johnson talking about how the passing game can create more points even if you there are more turnovers
I know I am being simplistic and not relating it exactly how he said it - but basically get the ball upfield

[Boltjolt]

Go to 0:32. Who does that remind you of?

I see a little Ladd, some Keenan and some things he did I saw some Steve Largent. Of course that's looking at those highlights.

He could surprise in TC. He only has a small handful of punt returns and only 1 kickoff so not sure if that's because he was a starting receiver and they didn't want to use him there or what.

One to keep an eye on for sure. We could have 2 maybe 3 UDFAs make the team.

[DerwinBosa]

I guess people are just glossing over his drops in college. He is a body catcher and has gotten better his Senior year. The guy is a project.

Yeah, the reality is we don't know what we have with any of our draft picks yet. Saying Lambert-Smith is already better than Johnston is premature. Johnston hasn't lived up to his first-round selection, but it's not like he hasn't done anything and can't improve. He also has a very good attitude and works his ass off. I don't understand writing him off the way some have.

[charger1993]

I am not sure if KLS will "beat out" QJ but I do believe he will eat into his snaps.

KLS provides something this offense was missing...a legitimate deep threat who can take the top of defenses and catch deep passes. He can also play X or Z.

Does QJ really provide something the offense cant live without?

Tre and MW are the big contested catch receivers who can work the sidelines and play X. Tre is also YAC. Ladd is slot and brilliant on underneath routes, also provides YAC. Gadsden will work the seam and catches very well. Conklin a reliable possession receiver.

QJ seems like like a receiver you need to manufacture certain touches for because of his limited skill set. QJ could change that if he comes in and excels, makes a year 3 jump but if we get the same as last year that was a very average and replaceable WR2. The biggest thing QJ will need to master is consistency. There is no longer a need for him to be on the field when he is having one of his sub par games when he doesn't catch anything or get open.

For me QJ's draft pedigree means nothing. This regime didn't choose him. I am not writing him off as an asset, I just see him as a player you throw him into the new mix and see what he earns. After Ladd, lets see which competitors rise

Qj hasnt had a single game that said i can be an Elite number one, he had the good game against the browns, THE BROWNS. Qj is a gadget player ive said it 100 times, compare ladds numbers to his

Ladds rookie season

82

112

1,149

14.0

7

60

Qj career stats

38

67

431

11.3

2

57

55

91

711

12.9

8

66

Thats in order of receptions, targets, yards, avg, td, longest td.

Just looking at the numbers you can clearly see a huge gap between the two alone, in two years Qj has 1,142 yards, ladd had that just in his rookie season. Despite qj being the bigger wr who is just as fast as ladd, ladd gets open qj doesnt. ladd uses his hands, qj uses his body. theres a stark contrast between the two

[charger1993]

Yeah, the reality is we don't know what we have with any of our draft picks yet. Saying Lambert-Smith is already better than Johnston is premature. Johnston hasn't lived up to his first-round selection, but it's not like he hasn't done anything and can't improve. He also has a very good attitude and works his ass off. I don't understand writing him off the way some have.

he might have put in work, but if he had worked his ass off he wouldnt still struggle with body catches all the time, he got out preformed by a shorter less physically gifted rookie wr last year. the numbers dont lie, ladd has more yards in 1 season than qj has in 2

[DerwinBosa]

he might have put in work, but if he had worked his ass off he wouldnt still struggle with body catches all the time, he got out preformed by a shorter less physically gifted rookie wr last year. the numbers dont lie, ladd has more yards in 1 season than qj has in 2

Nobody is questioning that Ladd is better than Johnston. Ladd has been in the NFL and proven it. Lambert-Smith has not even been on an NFL practice field and was drafted in the fifth round.

Some players develop slower than others. Davante Adams was less productive in his first two seasons than Johnston has been so far. Maybe you would have written Adams off and said he was already worse than a fifth-round pick.

[CanadianBoltFan]

Yeah I just read Popper.
He has KLS, with his deep threat chops, and Conklin, sure handed and with some depth of target, as immediate impact players.

The only question is how will we choose to line up, which packages ?

Nice.

I am sticking to my guns...KLS is this years Tarheeb!

[CanadianBoltFan]

Yeah, the reality is we don't know what we have with any of our draft picks yet. Saying Lambert-Smith is already better than Johnston is premature. Johnston hasn't lived up to his first-round selection, but it's not like he hasn't done anything and can't improve. He also has a very good attitude and works his ass off. I don't understand writing him off the way some have.

I am not writing QJ off, dont want him cut or traded. I am not saying KLS is "better" than QJ. What I am saying is KLS provides something the offense badly needs that will get him on the field early, that and the fact that Sanjay and Hortiz are clearly very high on him bodes well.

I get vibes from him that he is very confident and competitive. My sense is that he is one of those players that is going to be hard to keep off the field.

[Critty]

At the end of the season, during playoff games.... Herbert has to be good to great depending on if defense and special teams is good to great. Team game. Best team wins. If defense struggles Herbert has to pick them up or special teams has to pick them up. Or vice versa, etc .
Now , because the QB has the ball in his hands and is calling the shots and audibles at the line of scrimmage every offensive snap, that dude gets the most credit and the most blame and rightly so. I don't question Herbert want to win ability, but sometimes he has sailed the ball instead of throwing accurate strike. And other times he doesn't get his team into best play. And if he not sure of best play or doesn't like the options OC have him, then call the timeout and march to the sideline with a disgruntled look of WTF LFG! I see him growing into 'That Man' and finding a way to get it done over the next 10 years of his career. hopefully this next season will be his first of multiple trophies, which is what Jim Harbaugh said when he was hired. ,"Multiple Championships"