Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel showed he had a knack for highlighting fast offensive players when he was the head coach in Miami and that has one of his new players excited about what’s coming his way during the 2026 season.
Running back Keaton Mitchell averaged 6.8 yards per touch over his three seasons with the Ravens and McDaniel identified him as a player of interest heading into free agency this offseason. Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz was in Baltimore’s front office when Mitchell signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and that helped a deal come together for Mitchell in Los Angeles.
Mitchell tore his ACL as a rookie and only played five games in 2024 before returning to touch the ball 68 times in 13 appearances last season. It’s unclear what kind of role the Chargers have in mind for him, but Mitchell feels there’s an opportunity to build on what he’s done so far in his career.
“Definitely motivating to be in a room where I feel like I have a chance and a shot to do big things,” Mitchell said, via the team’s website.
2025 first-round pick Omarion Hampton will factor into any backfield plans for the Chargers, but Mitchell could also be a factor in the return game as he and the Chargers try to maximize the return on the team’s investment.
The Chargers have signed another member of their 2026 draft class.
The NFL’s transaction report for Monday shows that the team has signed second-round pick Jake Slaughter. He is the sixth of their eight selections to sign their four-year rookie deals.
Slaughter played center at Florida and was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy last season, but the Chargers signed Tyler Biadasz in free agency and the team plans to have Slaughter at left guard during his rookie season.
“Jake’s been our top center through the entire process there,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said, via the team’s website. “With the ability to play guard, at least he’ll get a real good, fighting chance to compete for the starting position.”
First-round edge rusher Akheem Mesidor and fourth-round wide receiver Brenen Thompson are the unsigned Chargers draft picks.
Veteran tight end David Njoku finally has a new home.
Via NFL Network, Njoku has agreed to terms with the Chargers on a one-year deal. It’s reportedly worth “up to” $8 million.
Which means it has a base value below that, with an opportunity to earn the rest through incentives. Without knowing the incentives, it’s impossible to know how easy or hard it will be to get there.
Njoku was the 29th overall pick in the 2017 draft. He had played nine years in Cleveland. He made the Pro Bowl in 2023, with a career-high 81 catches for 882 yards and six touchdowns.
With the 2025 season, Njoku completed a four-year, $54.75 million deal with the Browns.
In L.A., Njoku becomes another weapon in the new-look offense being implemented under coordinator Mike McDaniel. The Chargers currently have four other tight ends on the roster, headlined by Oronde Gadsen, who generated 664 receiving yards as a rookie in 2025.
His protracted stay on the free-agency market makes his signing not count for compensatory draft-pick purposes, for either the Chargers or the Browns.
As quarterback Justin Herbert enters the seventh year of his career, the Chargers continue to hope to unlock a potential that has yet to be fully realized n the form of a single postseason win. Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has been charged with the task of getting more out of the quarterback about whom head coach Jim Harbaugh constantly raves.
On Friday, McDaniel shared more thoughts on what Herbert could become.
“He has the capability of mastering every tool in the toolbox,” McDaniel said, via Kris Rhim of ESPN. “For him to own the position in a way he never has and ultimately for it to be obvious to everyone around, he’s playing the best football of his career.”
One specific goal is to improve Herbert’s efficiency when throwing the ball quickly.
“Finding a more detailed approach to max out those quick throws in conjunction with all the things that you know he’s capable of doing,” McDaniel said. “Which is extend plays and launch it down the field.”
The effort requires Herbert to be willing to make changes after six seasons of playing a certain way. McDaniel said that, so far, Herbert has been receptive.
“Typically, elite performers don’t like to try new things,” McDaniel said. “He’s really let go, been all in.”
Herbert should be all in. He finished outside the top 10 in passer rating last season. He’s only landed in the top 10 once in his career, when he ranked seventh in 2024 with a passer rating of 101.7.
And Herbert is surely hearing the noise that, despite internal efforts to blame everyone but him for his failure to become what his overall skills suggest he should be, maybe he’s partially responsible for not becoming what he has been expected to be. Maybe, after six seasons in the NFL, he is what he’s going to be: Good, not great.
McDaniel, who coaxed impressive performances from a quarterback in Miami who was drafted one spot before Herbert, has someone who can make things happen when the play extends. If McDaniel can get more out of Herbert with quick reads and quick throws via plays that are schemed to have someone pop open quickly, that could be the key to making Herbert great, not good.
The Chargers announced the signings of five players selected in the 2026 draft.
They now have fourth-round offensive tackle Travis Burke (No. 117), fourth-round safety Genesis Smith (No. 131), fifth-round defensive tackle Nick Barrett (No. 145), sixth-round offensive guard Logan Taylor (No. 202) and sixth-round offensive guard Alex Harkey (No. 206) under contract.
That leaves only first-round linebacker Akheem Mesidor, second-round center Jake Slaughter and fourth-round wide receiver Brenen Thompson unsigned.
The Chargers also waived two players — defensive lineman Josh Fuga and cornerback Jordan Oladokun — and signed 18 undrafted free agents.
The undrafted free agents to sign were Utah State safety Noah Avinger, Utah linebacker Lander Barton, Kansas State tight end Jerand Bradley, Colorado wide receiver Sincere Brown, Virginia defensive lineman Jahmeer Carter, Memphis running back Greg Desrosiers, Syracuse safety Devin Grant, Louisiana State defensive lineman Jacobian Guillory, San Diego State outside linebacker Niles King, Penn State wide receiver Devonte Ross, Georgia Tech cornerback Rodney Shelley, Toledo cornerback Avery Smith, Fresno State center Jacob Spomer, Wyoming tight end Evan Svoboda, Western Michigan outside linebacker Nadame Tucker, Southern Methodist defensive lineman Terry Webb, Florida State cornerback Jeremiah Wilson and Oregon tackle Isaiah World.
