NFL insider highlights underrated ‘difference-maker’ in Chargers’ offseason

The Los Angeles Chargers should be an exciting team to watch this fall. LA’s offense could be a lot better with Mike McDaniel calling plays for Justin Herbert. But one underlooked position on offense could be the key to the entire season for LA.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated highlighted the tight end position as a big difference-maker for the Chargers ahead of the 2026 season.

“One under-the-radar spring takeaway from me: The Chargers’ tight end makeover could be a bigger difference-maker than people think,” Breer wrote. “The Los Angeles roster is now fully molded in the square-jawed image of Jim Harbaugh. [Harbaugh] has a big back in Omarion Hampton. He has a rugged receiver room with Quentin Johnson, Ladd McConkey and Tre Harris. He has mountainous tackles in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, a crew of hard-playing edge rushers with Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu and Akheem Mesidor. And so on and so forth.”

Harbaugh has historically had a lot of success when coaching a team with strong tight ends. He’s worked with several talented tight ends throughout his career. In fact, Bears TE Colston Loveland and Seahawks TE A.J. Barner are just a few of the players he’s mentored throughout his coaching career who are thriving in the NFL.

To that end, the Chargers upgraded the position this offseason. LA brought in David Njoku and Charlie Kolar during NFL free agency.

If those players can adapt to Harbaugh’s system, they could make the offense much more functionable this fall.

“All in all, the group has a chance to make the Chargers, with Mike McDaniel now carrying the playsheet, more versatile and malleable and tougher to defend,” Breer concluded. “And a little more like what Harbaugh, over his 20-plus years as a head coach, has gotten pretty used to having.”

It will be exciting to see how the Chargers look on offense during training camp later this summer.

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