And, like nationwide pundits akin to Daniel Jeremiah and Mina Kimes, Rapoport is clearly fired as much as see how Justin Herbert fares in McDaniel’s scheme.
McDaniel mentioned this offseason that he needs the Chargers franchise quarterback to play “the best football of his career” in 2026.
“Mike’s done an unbelievable job of putting any quarterback in position to succeed. And really any player, right?,” Rapoport mentioned. “I mean, you’ve had fourth-string running backs who have had great games in his system because he gives guys space and he lets them be successful.
“And you then give him a quarterback like Justin, I’m actually curious to see how good they are often,” Rapoport continued.
“It’s the greatest quarterback he is had, the most gifted quarterback he is had,” Rapoport added. “And when guys are open anyway as a result of the scheme is so good, like, how good can they be?”
Defensively, Rapoport kept a close eye on Chargers Defensive Coordinator Chris O’Leary, who is in his first season in that role.
O’Leary was the Bolts safeties coach in 2024 before becoming the DC at Western Michigan last season.
“A superb, younger coach,” Rapoport said of O’Leary, who is filling the shoes of now Ravens Head Coach Jesse Minter. “I feel the system can be related sufficient to the place the gamers can variety of hit the floor working and never have this massive acclamation interval.”
Overall, Rapoport knows the Chargers will surely be tested in 2026, especially as they play eight games in 2026 against playoff teams from a year ago.
The Bolts also reside in one of the NFL’s most competitive divisions, with the Broncos and Chiefs each eyeing deep playoff runs and the Raiders looking toward a brighter future.
But, as Rapoport noted in El Segundo, if everything goes right, the Chargers “must be pretty much as good because it will get” in the months forward.
“You rent the prime coordinator candidate obtainable [in McDaniel], you will have expertise and the roster is actually good and deep,” Rapoport said. “If you keep injury-free or comparatively injury-free, I do not know why this is not a crew that is there at the finish.
“I don’t know what else you’d be looking for if you were to kind of build a team,” Rapoport continued. “Now, they’ve got to go out and do it, obviously. And there’s a new defensive coordinator whose sort of untested, so that’ll be an interesting one, but he should be really good.
“But the expertise is actually good, so I might see the Chargers as a crew that is there till the finish,” Rapoport added.