Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!
We'll run a Mailbag each month during the offseason. Send in submissions for the Mailbag on Twitter @EricLSmith or by email at eric.smith@chargers.nfl.com.
Off we go...
Everyone is talking about Justin Herbert under Mike McDaniel, and rightly so. But give us some other players on offense that are going to shine under the new system. (JT via Twitter)
A great topic to lead us off.
Yes, most of the buzz from Mike McDaniel's press conference centered around Justin Herbert, with the Chargers Offensive Coordinator laying out his vision to both elevate and protect the Chargers franchise quarterback.
"There's a lot of incredible plays Justin has made, that he's firmly capable [of making]. Sometimes as a coach you can rely upon that a little too much," McDaniel said. "There's schematic ways to get completions that maybe all three quarterbacks on the roster would be capable of doing.
"Easier completions, kind of not putting so much … it can be taxing over time for a player to necessitate an incredible play too often to be able to score points and win football games," McDaniel added. "So, you try to take it off of them by low-cost, high-reward offense that he's firmly capable of doing but also maybe a lesser talent would be capable of doing as well."
But if we're looking at other players who could thrive under McDaniel, that answer above is telling.
Easier completions ... a low-cost, high-reward offense ... to me that screams Ladd McConkey in bright neon lights.
One of the most fascinating aspects of McDaniel's press conference was how he detailed taking advantage of space defense gives right after the snap.
Let's throw out a hypothetical here.
Say it's first-and-10 and McDaniel schemes up one of those easy completions to McConkey where Herbert's pass only goes five yards down the field. McConkey then picks up three yards after the catch.
Now it's second-and-2 and McDaniel can turn to almost any play on the call sheet.
This is a basic example, of course, but it's to highlight why I expect McConkey to be prominently featured in McDaniel's offense.
The wide receiver was exceptional in 2024 when he set Chargers single-season rookie records for catches and receiving yards. And while a multitude of factors went into McConkey's lesser numbers this past season, he should absolutely be viewed as a weapon on the roster.
If you ask me, look for McDaniel to use McConkey in similar ways that he used Tyreek Hill in Miami.
Are the two the exact same player? Of course not.
But while Hill is a 4.29 speedster, McConkey can more than hold his own as he was clocked at 4.39 at the 2024 NFL Combine ... and has showed that game-breaking speed over two seasons.
It will be fun to watch how McDaniel utilizes McConkey this offseason and how that translates into the 2026 season.
Aside from McConkey, I'd keep an eye on Omarion Hampton in McDaniel's system. The Chargers OC came up as a run game guy and has dazzled the league with his concepts on the ground.
Hampton has the skillset to be a workhorse back and could be another player who takes a massive jump under McDaniel.
Finally, I'll throw Oronde Gadsden's name out here, too.
Gadsden has already developed a strong rapport with Herbert, something that should blossom under McDaniel's creativity.
It seems that most people pre-suppose an AAV for Tuli Tuipulotu, Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh and conclude that we can't afford all three. But since Tuli is still going into Year 4 and a year 1 cap hit for Oweh wouldn't break the cap, surely we can afford all three, right? (Pete via Twitter)
Free agency looms around the corner.
The 2026 NFL salary cap has not been set yet but is projected to be around $303 million. If that's the case, the Chargers will have around $88 million of cap space.
And while that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that number doesn't factor in Tear Tart's contract extension yet.
And also keep in mind that Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz said after the season the ample cap space could be less than expected for the open market if the Bolts can keep most (or some) of their internal free agents on the roster.
Which brings us to the edge rusher group...
First of all, a potential Tuipulotu extension likely wouldn't affect his cap number in 2026 because he'd play out the final year of his rookie contract. I know that was brought up at the year-end presser but all it brought was odd looks and confusion.
So, inking Tuipulotu to an extension — Step 1 in this scenario — is certainly possible.
Step 2 here, which is bringing Mack back, would dip into the Chargers 2026 cap space. Mack returned in 2025 on an 1-year deal worth $18 million, so for simplicity sake, let's project the same term and amount here.
That brings us to Oweh, which is Step 3. The edge rusher was superb after being acquired in an October trade, posting 7.5 sacks in 12 games before popping off with 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles in the playoff loss.
I'm not going to project a potential Oweh extension in this space, but just know it would also eat into the current space space of nearly $90 million.
All of this is to say that, yes, the Chargers can have all three on their roster in 2026 for new Chargers Defensive Coordinator Chris O'Leary to work with.
Wednesday marks five weeks from the start of the 2026 New League Year.
Here are some words from Hortiz to chew on until then as it relates to free agency:
"I think you have to make smart decisions in free agency," Hortiz said. "I've said it over and over, if you chase perceived needs in free agency and the draft then you end up, more often than not, overpaying or making a mistake.
"We do have to be calculated, have to be smart. We have to be all-in on the player and believe in the player," Hortiz added. "We'll spend money, but we're going to spend money internally, too, because there's a lot of guys we'd like to have back.
What was your biggest takeaway from Chris O'Leary's intro press conference on Tuesday? (Mike via email)
That the Chargers are hoping to strike gold by hiring O'Leary to replace Jesse Minter.
The loss of Minter is obviously a big one for the Chargers defense and the organization as a whole.
But the return of O'Leary could potentially give the Bolts the same dynamic at defensive coordinator — a young, smart and adaptable coach who can elevate the unit with his teaching methods and rapport with players.
Minter came up often Tuesday in O'Leary's intro press conference. And for good reason since the two have known each other for over a decade.
"I've seen him as a mentor of mine for my entire coaching career," O'Leary said about Minter on Tuesday.
Time will tell if O'Leary is able replicate the same success Minter had with the Chargers.
But the 34-year-old certainly seems to have all of the traits and characteristics needed to be one of the NFL's top young defensive minds.
What positions could we target at No. 22 in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft? (Owen via email)
We'll end this Mailbag with a draft question.
In case you've missed it, the Chargers 2026 Mock Draft Tracker is live and will be updated weekly heading into the draft in late April.
The latest edition, which posted Tuesday, featured projections from 13 different NFL pundits.
Which direction did they lean?
A half-dozen interior offensive linemen, five defensive tackles and two edge rushers.
In other words, draft experts currently project the Bolts to focus on the trenches in the 2026 NFL Draft.
That could very well be what ends up happening. But upcoming free agency moves could also dictate that direction for the Chargers.
I wouldn't expect much Chargers news in the next week or two, but with the 2026 NFL Combine on the horizon in late February and free agency starting in March, things are going to get very busy for the Bots front office.
