With a new offensive structure in 2026, the Los Angeles Chargers should have a multitude of opportunities for some of their under-recognized players to take a step forward.
First and foremost will be the rookies. Virtually all of Akheem Mesidor, Jake Slaughter, Genesis Smith, Nick Barrett, and Brenen Thompson will play significant roles on the roster this season. Alex Harkey and Logan Taylor, the pair of guards Los Angeles selected in the sixth round, will compete for depth spots on the roster.
Then you have the obvious candidate in Oronde Gadsden II. Gadsden was excellent as a rookie, posting 49 receptions for 664 yards and three touchdowns across 15 games. Even with David Njoku in the fold, Gadsden's sophomore campaign has a serious chance to be special.
But on the league-wide stage, very few have spoken about the potential that Tre Harris, the Chargers' second-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, has for a major breakout as well. With a receiving corps that will force attention away from him and an offensive coordinator that's willing to extensively utilize downfield threats, Harris could be poised to be Los Angeles' most exciting breakout candidate this season.
Tre Harris could be the Chargers' sneaky breakout candidate in 2026
Coming out of Ole Miss, Harris was seen as a potential WR2 with the ability to make major plays both in short-yardage and on deep, driving downfield routes. He was even a bit of a steal in the late second round, having posted 60 receptions for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns in his final college season.
As a rookie, though, his role in the offense was relatively limited. He played 49% of the team's offensive snaps, but he posted just 30 receptions for 324 yards across all 17 games. As the season went on, though, he pushed his way into more opportunities with his impressive blocking abilities.
He should be able to do the same in 2026. But McDaniel is the type of coordinator that wants to leverage every weapon available to him. If Harris can quickly outpace fellow sophomore KeAndre Lambert-Smith in his snap share, the opportunities will be there for major plays as the season wears on.
His average yards before the catch in 2025 was a relatively pedestrian 6.2. If McDaniel is willing to utilize Harris as more of a downfield, contested-catch threat in 2026, his opportunities could increase significantly.
Of course, a Gadsden breakout would be more than exciting— it would provide Herbert with an additional, reliable target in the middle of the field with Keenan Allen's future in question. But the Chargers have a well-rounded tight end room. Even if Gadsden's production only sees a slight increase, the addition of Njoku should compensate for that.
The Chargers need all hands on deck in their wide receiver room, though, and McDaniel clearly expects to get that. If everything else comes together, Harris' emergence as a bona-fide pass-catching threat in 2026 could be the final piece the offense needs to truly keep defenses guessing on a down-to-down basis.
Yet until he actually does it, Harris's breakout candidacy will likely continue to fly under the radar, at least on a league-wide scale.
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