Phase Three of the Chargers 2026 voluntary offseason program is here.
The Bolts begin Organized Team Activity (OTA) practices this week and will hold them for the next three weeks.
While no live contact is permitted during OTAs, teams can do 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills.
The Bolts will also hold a mandatory minicamp June 16-18 at the Bolt.
With that in mind, here are five questions surrounding the Chargers ahead of OTAs.
1. How do Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt look?
OTAs are not the best time to evaluate offensive linemen because they aren't in pads and live contact isn't allowed.
But on a more basic level, all eyes will be on how the Chargers Pro Bowl tackle tandem looks after injuries derailed their respective 2025 seasons.
Rashawn Slater missed the entire 2025 season with a knee injury. Joe Alt suffered an ankle injury that limited him to just six games but was enough to earn Pro Bowl honors.
Both players have been out on the field for Phase Two of the offseason program, which has featured individual drills and agility movements. Slater and Alt have looked agile and smooth in those drills.
And Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz said last month that both players were "ahead of schedule" in their respective rehabs.
The next step is moving into team situations this spring in Mike McDaniel's new offense.
The whole goal here is for Slater and Alt to be healthy for training camp and fully ready to go for the Week 1 opener against Arizona.
We'll have a better grasp of where they are at during OTAs.
2. How do the running backs fit in Mike McDaniel's scheme?
One position group to keep an eye on this spring? The running backs.
We know that Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh wants a tough and physical offense that focused on controlling the rock. McDaniel also has worlds of NFL coaching experience in the run game.
"He likes to run the ball and I am, by trade, I spent a good portion of my career being in charge of the run game and being the run game coordinator," McDaniel said in January. "I think you're always playing to your skillsets and each team that you're on has a different array of them.
"That core foundational belief that football is inside out, prioritizing the line of scrimmage play and being able to win games when you have a lead with nine minutes to go in the game and you can keep the defense off the field," McDaniel added. "I think those types of things, that's where the like-minded football 101, core values of football kind of overlap."
OTAs will be the first major step in seeing what the bones of the Chargers run game looks like, and the Bolts appear to have the running backs to thrive in McDaniel's system.
Omarion Hampton (545 rushing yards and four touchdowns) flashed plenty of potential as a rookie while Kimani Vidal filled in admirably with a trio of 100-yard games. The Chargers also added to the room in free agency with the addition of fullback Alec Ingold and running back Keaton Mitchell, the latter of whom has plenty of big-play ability.
3. What does the safety room look like?
We're not highlighting the safeties as a position battle per se ... that will shake out in time during training camp and in the preseason.
But there might not be a more competitive group on the roster than this group that features veterans and youngsters alike.
The room is led by Derwin James, Jr., who has earned back-to-back Second-Team All-Pro honors due to his versatility and leadership. Elijah Molden is also back for Year 3 in powder blue as a stabilizing force on the back end.
The rest of the group features veteran Tony Jefferson alongside second-year safety RJ Mickens and Kendall Williamson, a key special teams player who returned in free agency this offseason.
The Chargers also selected Arizona safety Genesis Smith in Round 4 of the 2026 NFL Draft to add more range and speed in the secondary.
Again, playing time and roster spots will be sorted out this summer. But this group offers plenty of intrigue as OTAs begin.
4. How do the rookies fare?
The Chargers took eight players in the 2026 NFL Draft to add a blend of talent and potential on the roster.
Some players such as first-round edge rusher Akheem Mesidor will be counted upon to contribute right away alongside Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu.
Others such as second-round guard Jake Slaughter could compete for a starting spot as a rookie, while some rookies could provide depth and special teams ability early on.
The rookies have spent the past two weeks going through workouts with veteran players to help get adjusted to life in the NFL.
But the intensity will soon ramp up as rookies will get a chance to show their mettle. The group has impressed as a whole so far.
"You hop off the plane and then you're thrown in the fire and gotta go," Jefferson said of the youngsters. "I see these guys studying a lot, asking questions. They really want to know."
5. What is Chris O'Leary's impact on the defense?
Back in February, new Chargers Defensive Coordinator Chris O'Leary outlined his offseason goals for the defense.
"The two things we're going to focus on. No. 1, we're going to elevate what we do well. The foundation of our defense, we're going to elevate that," O'Leary said. "We're going to do what we do better.
"The second thing we're going to do is we're going to evolve the defense. We're going to add things, we're going to tailor things to the players, the personnel that we have going into the season," O'Leary added. "We're really focused on taking what we built and the foundation that's laid and taking it to another level."
While we won't see any tackling in the coming weeks, we will see how O'Leary's group does against McDaniel's group, even if it is in helmets and shorts.
A specific aspect we'll be watching is how often the defense communicates before the snap, something that was a staple under Jesse Minter, who was O'Leary's mentor for over a decade.
