Putting together a great offseason was necessary for the Las Vegas Raiders after a trainwreck of a 2025 NFL season. Although not everyone agreed with their moves, the Silver and Black undoubtedly got better with a head coaching change, tons of free agent signings and a promising 2026 NFL Draft.
But the Raiders can't just improve. They have to get light-years better if they want to even compete because the AFC West is loaded with high-end contenders. What can get the job done in another division may not even be close to sufficient for Las Vegas if the playoffs are the eventual goal.
Did the Los Angeles Chargers really get better this offseason, though? Is this the year that Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh finally get over the hump? To better familiarize ourselves with the Raiders' bi-annual opponent, we spoke to Grant Bellchamber of Bolt Beat, FanSided's dedicated Chargers site.
Las Vegas Raiders facing Los Angeles Chargers twice will be no easy task
Q: The Chargers overhauled their coordinators this offseason. What is the confidence level surrounding Mike McDaniel as an upgrade over Greg Roman?
A: The confidence level in Mike McDaniel, at this point, is sky-high. The major difference, apart from the pure schematic overhaul, is that McDaniel is willing to innovate and adapt his scheme not only to the personnel but to the situation. Although the play of the offensive line last season was abysmal, Roman wasn't able to respond when defenses took away the run, and that's ultimately what kept the offense stagnant during his time in LA. Everything McDaniel has done this offseason, from the personnel additions made to fit his scheme to the work he's done with Justin Herbert, has been stellar.
Q: Conversely, are fans worried that Chris O'Leary won't be able to replicate what Jesse Minter did for LA?
A: O'Leary's ability to replicate Minter's success certainly isn't a given. As a first-time play-caller at the NFL level, there's always going to be anxiety, especially given the extent to which Minter maximized the talent the Chargers had in the secondary during his time here. At the same time, while there will certainly be different expressions of the overarching scheme, the infrastructure will largely be the same— heavy pre-snap communication and motion, using Derwin James in a nickel/dime role, forcing opponents to run the ball up the middle, etc. If there's anyone who can replicate Minter's scheme, it's O'Leary, but any switch was always going to be worrying.
Q: What is the latest on the health of your starting OTs, and will they be available by Week 2's game against the Raiders? How much better is this OL?
A: Both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, according to the latest updates, should be good to go for training camp. There's some worry that Slater's torn patellar tendon will permanently affect his ceiling. But simply by having their two star tackles back in action, this O-line is already in an infinitely better place.
Q: With McDaniel, a better OL and improved weapons, do you think that this could finally be the year that Justin Herbert emerges as a truly elite QB and takes the Chargers on a playoff run?
A: If you ask me, Justin Herbert is already an elite quarterback. Truly elite, of course, depends on your definition. But McDaniel has a concrete vision for how to maximize Herbert's game. He said in a press conference that, when he got the Chargers job, he sat down and watched every single snap of professional football that Herbert had ever played. From what we know, it starts with getting the ball out sooner, in part to maximize the YAC capabilities of the receiving corps and in part to overcome any weak interior protection. But with the crop of pass-catchers and additional blockers at his disposal, there's no more hero ball for Herbert.
I can't guarantee a playoff run, but I can tell you that he'll be maximized under McDaniel's scheme.
Q: You guys drew mixed reviews during the 2026 NFL Draft. How has the Chargers' rookie class looked thus far? Is anyone standing out in a good or bad way yet?
A: The Chargers' draft class wasn't the highest-upside one in the entire NFL, but it accomplished exactly what they needed— replenish their depth on both sides of the ball. Both Jake Slaughter and Akheem Mesidor are difficult to evaluate before the pads come on, but I truly believe that Mesidor has all the makings of an immediately impactful pass rusher. In terms of rookies that have made concrete impressions, Genesis Smith (the safety out of Arizona) definitely made a splash during the offseason program. He could siphon snaps from both R.J. Mickens and Tony Jefferson this season as the deep safety when James slides to the nickel.
There's still reason to have anxiety around Slaughter making the positional switch from guard/center, but it's hard to levy judgment on that until training camp.
Q: What was the biggest or most impactful offseason move that LA made? This can be a signing, loss of a player, trade, draft pick or coaching move.
A: The hiring of Mike McDaniel. To avoid repeating myself, I'll simply reference my answer to the first question.
Q: Do the Chargers have a glaring weakness that the Raiders can exploit in the two matchups? If so, what is it?
A: If there's one weakness this season, I believe it's going to be the run defense. They were solid last season under Minter, but they were highly inconsistent. They got burned multiple times by explosive runs, and it led to losses that they really couldn't afford. Substantially, the inside linebacker room hasn't changed all that much, but the D-line has been overhauled with the additions of Dalvin Tomlinson and Nick Barrett. If the Raiders can somehow find a way to get Ashton Jeanty going in Kubiak's outside-zone scheme, that could definitely be trouble.
Q: What is LA's biggest strength that could overpower Las Vegas this season?
A: I want to say the passing game here, but I feel like we'll see some hiccups through the first couple of weeks as Herbert figures everything out. I'll go with the secondary and their ability to systematically stifle opposing offenses, which should continue under Chris O'Leary. I like the collection of offensive weapons Los Angeles has put together, and I love the hiring of Kubiak as head coach. But I don't think there's any world where we see a Raiders' offensive explosion in Week 2.
Q: Would you rather face Fernando Mendoza or Kirk Cousins? (This can just be a one-word answer)
A: Can I use three words? Kirk Cousins, lol.Â
Other Las Vegas Raiders 2026 season previews:
Week 1 - Miami Dolphins
Week 3 - New Orleans Saints (Coming Soon)
Weeks 4&18 - Kansas City Chiefs (Coming Soon)
Week 5 - New England Patriots (Coming Soon)
Week 6 - Buffalo Bills (Coming Soon)
Week 7 - Los Angeles Rams (Coming Soon)
Week 8 - New York Jets (Coming Soon)
Week 9 - San Francisco 49ers (Coming Soon)
Week 10 - Seattle Seahawks (Coming Soon)
Weeks 11&15 - Denver Broncos (Coming Soon)
Week 12 - Cleveland Browns (Coming Soon)
Week 16 - Tennessee Titans (Coming Soon)
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