At this point in the offseason, excitiment is usually rife. This is especially true for the Los Angeles Chargers, who have a number of breakout candidates on the roster in light of the influence that Mike McDaniel's scheme should have on their overall offensive outlook.
All it takes is a quick look at the depth chart to pinpoint some of these players. Although Ladd McConkey was limited through the Chargers' offseason program, he has a real chance to take on a role as the team's alpha, YAC-getting receiver under McDaniel. Quentin Johnston, with the security of his fifth-year option now in place, has a chance to find consistent footing in the Los Angeles offense. Even Tre' Harris has a realistic shot at a second-year breakout, especially in terms of target share.
In the backfield, Omarion Hampton provides the most obvious reason for excitement. He was limited to just nine games in his rookie season after the Chargers selected him 22nd overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But even if Hampton wil take the lion's share of Los Angeles' touches out of the backfield, we can't afford to forget about Keaton Mitchell. As a dynamic and explosive running back, he'll get his fair share of opportunities in McDaniel's outside zone-heavy scheme.
Mitchell deserves every ounce of hype as the Chargers approach the start of training camp on July 29.
Although the buzz has died down, Keaton Mitchell could still be a major contributor for the Chargers in 2026
When Los Angeles signed Mitchell to a two-year, $9.25 million deal at the start of this offseason, the fit was obvious. Despite his potential as an elite change-of-pace back in an NFL offense, his role was limited during his time with the Baltimore Ravens. He totaled just 121 attempts for 767 yards and three touchdowns in all three of his seasons there.
Lamar Jackson had more rushing attempts than he did in 2025.
But it's not likely the Chargers brought Mitchell in simply to take on tertiary rushing responsibilities. Under McDaniel in 2025, the Miami Dolphins ran the ball 47.4% of the time— good for the 10th-highest mark in the league. The Ravens led the league in that category, but the massive workload that Derrick Henry took on limited touches for the rest of the backfield.
One of Los Angeles' primary goals in 2026 will be to keep Hampton healthy after an ankle injury shortened his rookie season. Both Mitchell and Vidal will have parts to play in that.
But Vidal has a less direct fit in McDaniel's scheme. Although Vidal was impressive last season when both Hampton and Najee Harris went down, he possesses more of a north-south skill-set— something that will be useful near the goal-line for the Chargers but likely won't see as much love from McDaniel in the regular course of the offense.
It's reasonable to expect, therefore, that Mitchell's touches will see a significant increase from the meager 59 attempts he saw in 2025. This iteration fo the Chargers offense has a real chance to unlock Mitchell as one of the most underrated weapons in the NFL.
While the buzz has died down since Mitchell was intially signed, he's certainly one of the pieces to be excited about heading into training camp.
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