After two consecutive 11-6 seasons to kick off the Jim Harbaugh era, albeit campaigns that ended with consecutive defeats in the Wild Card Round of the postseason, hopes were high for the Los Angeles Chargers (and their fans) coming into this 2026 season, especially after it was announced that former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was coming on as the new offensive coordinator.
NFL oddsmakers were on board with the Bolts being a strong contender this year as well, as Los Angeles was tied for the sixth-highest odds to win Super Bowl 61 among all 32 teams heading into Week 1 and the fourth-best among AFC teams. But as the football world has watched, any hope for the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy is long gone, as the Chargers sit at 0-6 on the year, and with the Dolphins getting their first win of the year over the weekend over the New York Jets, Harbaugh & Co. are now the lone winless team in the league coming out of the bye week.
McDaniel's offense has been the biggest problem, as the Bolts rank 28th in total yards per game (287.2) and dead last in scoring (15.0). The defense, which also got a new coordinator in Chris O'Leary after Jesse Minter left to become the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, hasn't been stellar by any stretch but has at least been better than the offense, ranking 15th in total yards allowed (330.0) and 22nd in points surrendered (25.2).
No, that's not much to get excited about, but something Chargers fans actually can be excited about is the fact that the best player on that defense isn't one of the many veterans on the unit. Instead, it's first-round rookie Akheem Mesidor. And so good has he been that All-Pro safety Derwin James has gone on record to say that he believes the Miami product is on his way to becoming one of the top edge defenders in the entire league.
Derwin James calls Akheem Mesidor a "beast" and predicts he'll soon be one of the top edges in the NFL
ESPN's Anthony Gharib recently caught up with James, and here's what he had to say about the 22nd overall pick from this past April's draft:
[Mesidor's] a beast, bro. He's going to be one of the top edges in this league. I can't wait," James said. "I keep seeing him ascend. Very smart, don't say too many words. Just shows up to work, and I feel like he's a great reason why the defense is one of the top ones for sure."
As you saw above, the Chargers' defense is not one of the "top ones" as James said, but as far as the other parts are concerned, Mesidor has unquestionably proven thus far that he has the potential to make James' prediction come true.
Through LA's first six games, Mesidor's overall PFF grade of 75.8 is the highest of any Chargers defender and ranks 21st among all qualifying edge defenders in the entire NFL. And that's with a substandard 60.6 run defense mark, as that is certainly one area where he could stand to improve.
Nevertheless, the 25-year-old (yes, he's an older rookie) ranks in a tie for fifth on the team in total tackles, ranks in a tie for third with five QB hits, and ranks solo second with 2.5 sacks. And what makes this all the more impressive is the fact that he's only taken a little under 53 percent of the Chargers' defensive snaps.
Yes, it's only been six games. But again, the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder has proven he has what it takes to succeed at this level. And barring some sort of injury, one can only assume he's only going to get even better as this season progresses, especially with some of the veterans around him who he can learn from, obviously and most notably future Hall of Famer Khalil Mack.
Only time will tell, of course, if James' prediction comes to fruition, but Mesidor is certainly off to a nice start.
Add us as a preferred source on Google