There’s losing, and then there’s what the Chargers are doing.
At 0-7 following a 24-9 loss to the Rams, this team has moved beyond a disappointing start. The Chargers came out of their bye week and still couldn’t find the end zone, going a second consecutive game without a touchdown. That’s not just a bad Sunday. That’s a team running out of answers.
The quarterback has regressed. The offense lacks an identity. The roster needs more playmakers, more depth and, in some spots, a lot more youth.
My overall midseason grade for the Chargers: F.
The uncomfortable part? This season might be exposing problems the franchise has spent too long trying to patch instead of fixing.
Justin Herbert: It’s Time to Have the Uncomfortable Conversation
I never thought the Chargers would reach a point where exploring a Justin Herbert trade felt like a legitimate conversation. But here we are.
Herbert threw his ninth and 10th interceptions of the season against the Rams, leading the league at that point. His 257 passing yards were a season high, but that doesn’t mean much when the offense still can’t finish a drive in the end zone.
This isn’t about pretending Herbert suddenly has no talent. The arm talent isn’t the question. The question is whether that talent is translating into the kind of quarterback play this franchise needs.
Right now, it isn’t.
The offensive line hasn’t helped. Neither has the supporting cast. But at some point, the quarterback has to be part of the evaluation instead of being exempt from it.
Mike McDaniel and Herbert don’t look like a natural pairing. The offense feels forced rather than comfortable, and the results have only strengthened that concern. Local coverage has similarly questioned whether Herbert fits what McDaniel is asking him to do.
I’m not saying trade Herbert just to make a statement. I’m saying the Chargers need to evaluate that option seriously: What would the return look like? What would a reset require? Is there a quarterback in the upcoming class they believe can lead the next version of this team?
A promising quarterback class makes the conversation worth having, not the decision automatic. Early draft evaluations feature multiple potential first-round quarterbacks, but projections are still projections.
Keeping Herbert might ultimately be the right move. Keeping him because the organization refuses to consider anything else would be the wrong process.
The Offense: What Is This Team Supposed to Be?
That’s the question I keep coming back to.
What do the Chargers actually do well enough offensively to build around?
The McDaniel hire was supposed to produce answers. Instead, the Chargers have an offense that looks uncertain about what it wants to be. Even with a bye week to regroup before facing the Rams, the same problems remained. Jim Harbaugh said afterward that McDaniel would retain play-calling duties.
Continuity is only valuable when there’s something worth continuing.
The remaining games need to establish whether this system can work with Herbert and this personnel. If the answer is no, the organization has to figure out whether the problem is the quarterback, the scheme, the supporting cast—or some combination of all three.
You can’t rebuild an offense without first deciding what kind of offense you’re trying to build.
Offensive Line: Availability Has to Matter
Every year, it feels like we’re having some version of this conversation.
The offensive line gets hurt. The replacements struggle. The offense becomes limited. Then we spend the offseason talking about how different things could look if everyone stays healthy.
That can’t be the entire plan.
Joe Alt entered this season after an ankle injury limited him to six games the previous year, while free-agent center Tyler Biadasz suffered a knee injury in training camp. The line’s instability was already a concern early in the season.
Injuries aren’t a character flaw. Nobody is questioning whether these players want to be out there.
But availability has to be part of roster construction. If premium investments can’t consistently stay on the field, the Chargers need better insurance behind them. You can’t build a line that only functions under perfect circumstances.
The problem isn’t just the injuries. It’s how quickly everything falls apart when they happen.
Receivers: Ladd Needs Help, Not More Expectations
I like Ladd McConkey. I’d like him even more as the No. 2 option alongside a legitimate No. 1 receiver.
That isn’t a knock on Ladd. It’s an acknowledgment that the Chargers need a more complete receiving room.
They need an outside receiver who changes how defenses play them. Someone who can win difficult matchups, create explosive plays and make everyone else’s job easier. ESPN’s draft analysis has identified that same need, describing Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith as a potential outside No. 1 who would complement McConkey.
They also need depth. One major addition wouldn’t excuse leaving the rest of the room thin.
Too often, the conversation becomes about what Herbert should do with the weapons he has. The better question is why the Chargers keep putting themselves in a position where that conversation is necessary.
Defense: Time for a Younger, Faster Version
My biggest concern with the defense is its direction.
There are veterans who can still contribute. But the Chargers need a younger foundation, not another round of hoping established names can carry the unit indefinitely.
They need more speed, more disruption and more players developing into larger roles.
They also appear to be feeling Jesse Minter’s absence. Minter left for Chicago, and the defense has struggled to reproduce what it had under him.
That doesn’t mean every defensive problem belongs to the coaching staff. It means the organization has to distinguish between players who are long-term building blocks and players whose best fit was in the previous version of this defense.
Respecting a veteran and deciding it’s time to move on can both be reasonable positions.
Jim Harbaugh: Where’s the Fire?
This is the part that feels especially strange.
Where is the passionate, fireball version of Jim Harbaugh?
Watching this team, I don’t see enough of the edge I expected him to bring. That’s an observation about how the Chargers look—not a claim to know what’s happening inside the locker room.
But the team looks flat, and that ultimately lands on the head coach.
Harbaugh deserves the same scrutiny as Herbert and McDaniel. His responsibility isn’t just to stand behind his quarterback or play-caller. It’s to recognize when the approach isn’t working and find a way to change the results.
The Chargers had extra preparation time before the Rams game and still delivered another touchdown-free performance. At some point, reassurance needs to turn into a response.
Midseason Report Card
These grades reflect my assessment of the first half, not a prediction of what each unit could become.
| Unit | Grade | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | F | Herbert’s regression and turnovers are too significant to overlook. |
| Offensive line | F | Injuries remain a problem, and the depth hasn’t provided enough protection against them. |
| Running backs | C- | Some room for contribution, but not enough to give the offense a dependable foundation. |
| Wide receivers | F | Ladd needs help, and the group needs both a true No. 1 and better depth. |
| Tight ends | D+ | Not enough impact to help stabilize a struggling offense. |
| Defensive line | C | Needs more consistent disruption and a stronger long-term foundation. |
| Linebackers | C | More speed and young talent should be priorities. |
| Secondary | C+ | My highest-graded unit, but still not enough to change the overall picture. |
| Coaching | D | Too little identity, too little adjustment and too few answers. |
| Overall | F | A winless first half demands an honest evaluation of the entire operation. |
The Outlook: A Lost Season Can Still Produce Something Useful
For me, this is a lost season competitively. But it doesn’t have to be a wasted one.
The bright side—if we’re looking for one—is that the problems are harder to ignore now.
The Chargers are positioned for a high draft selection if this trajectory continues, although their final spot remains unsettled. That could give them several meaningful options: select a quarterback, add a blue-chip player or trade down for a package of picks.
Jeremiah Smith is the name that immediately jumps out. The Ohio State receiver has been ranked as the top overall prospect by prominent draft evaluators, with ESPN describing him as a potentially generational receiver. He represents exactly the kind of premium receiving talent this offense lacks.
But the Chargers can’t approach the draft as though one exciting player fixes everything.
They need to decide what they’re building, who fits it and which direction offers the strongest long-term return.
What to Watch the Rest of the Way
The standings aren’t the only thing worth following now. These games should help answer three questions:
- Which young players belong in the future? Give them meaningful snaps and real responsibilities. Find out who can play before another offseason arrives.
- Can Herbert and McDaniel make this work? Look for sustained improvement, not one encouraging drive surrounded by the same problems.
- Which veterans should remain part of the plan? When trade opportunities are available, the Chargers should consider converting older talent into draft capital rather than holding on out of habit.
The worst outcome would be finishing this season with the same questions and deciding the solution is another patch.
This franchise needs an honest internal evaluation—from the quarterback to the coaching staff to the way the roster is built.
Nobody should be untouchable in that conversation.