The first step of Year 3 of the Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers officially opens Tuesday. The opening of training camp kicks off a season filled with huge expectations and a handful of important questions.
Here are some things to focus on as the Chargers open camp:
Three position battles to watch
Left guard
In the running: Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning, Kayode Awosika
The interior of the Chargers’ offensive line will look completely different this year compared with last season, with all three starters no longer on the roster.
Cole Strange and Tyler Biadasz appear set at right guard and center, respectively, but left guard is wide open.
Slaughter, a second-round pick from Florida, primarily played center in college and could be the Chargers’ long-term answer at that spot. But there is a reason why they listed him as a guard on draft night, and in an ideal world he makes a seamless transition and locks that spot down out of camp.
If not, Penning and Awosika have 83 combined NFL starts between them, and one should at least be able to provide serviceable play.
Third safety
In the running: Tony Jefferson, RJ Mickens, Genesis Smith
With Derwin James the ultimate chess piece able to line up all over the field, the Chargers often field a defense featuring three safeties. Veteran Elijah Molden appears safe as a starter alongside James, but it’s wide open for the other job.
Jefferson and Mickens are reliable players who will likely see the field depending on the situation and alignment. But Smith, a rookie fourth-round pick, is the wild card here after impressing throughout the offseason.
Tight end rotation
In the running: Oronde Gadsden II, David Njoku, Charlie Kolar
Gadsden II was a revelation as a rookie fifth-rounder last year, coming up with 49 catches for 664 yards. The chemistry he built with Justin Herbert bodes well for the future, and he is firmly positioned for an even bigger season.
Injuries have derailed Njoku the last couple of years, but he isn’t too far removed from an 81-catch season and a full slate of games.
Kolar is an excellent blocker and will see the field when the Chargers go to heavier looks, but he also has some upside as a pass catcher. It will be interesting to see how the Chargers allot the playing time among all three.
Three players who need to step up
QB Justin Herbert
Between learning a new system under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and some of the fundamental changes McDaniel is mandating, Herbert has a low-key learning curve to deal with this year. He’s too good not to make whatever transition and adjustments are necessary, but he’s got to do it in a hurry.
Beyond that, Herbert needs to be the best version of himself late in the season and in the playoffs, and the latter has been an issue over the years. For the Chargers to take the next step, Herbert needs to lead the way. And it starts with his play and efficiency in the biggest moments.
WR Quentin Johnston
Johnston goes into his fourth NFL season off a breakthrough 2025 season in which he posted 51 catches for a career-high 735 yards and eight touchdowns. As a reward, the Chargers picked up his fifth-year option for 2027, a clear sign they view him as a player with a needle pointing up.
Now it’s on him to build off the momentum he created last year. Johnston is too good to be middling in the 50-catch range. He can be, and should be, a focal point to the offense. If so, the offense takes a big step forward.
RG Cole Strange
The Chargers are in good hands at tackle, where Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater are as good a duo as there is in the NFL, when healthy, and at center, where veteran Biadasz is now in place. Right guard will come down to a training camp battle among Slaughter, Penning and Awosika.
For it to all work, Strange needs to lock down left guard. He doesn’t need to be a Pro Bowler, but he has to be competent.
Reasons for optimism
As they head into Year 3 under Harbaugh, the Chargers have truly emerged as the embodiment of their head coach’s vision. And with McDaniel now calling the shots on offense in a way that not only honors Harbaugh’s rugged run-game preference but is also able to open things up in the pass game, the Chargers are poised to take a big step forward in 2026.
Reason for concern
The Chargers are making massive changes along the offensive line, specifically inside, where different players will man all three spots. They are optimistic the changes will lead to better play, but if that doesn’t come to fruition, it’ll be a big problem in terms of the offensive operation.
