Of all the players on the LA Chargers who may take a leap in 2026, wide receiver Tre' Harris may be the most exciting. The 2025 second-round pick showed real flashes his rookie season and, in Mike McDaniel's offense, can emerge as a legitimate weapon for Justin Herbert.
While he doesn't have the pressure of a first-round pick, there is a slight make-or-break dynamic with Harris in his sophomore season. Whether or not he makes the leap could be the difference between him truly becoming a top option and never breaking out of just being a complementary option; otherwise known as the Joshua Palmer line.
Those in the building really seem to believe in Harris, and so do those outside the building. Franchise legend LaDainian Tomlinson is a fan of Harris and sees a lot of potential in his game. During a recent appearance on Bleav in Chargers, LT told Matt "Money" Smith and Lorenzo Neal that Harris can be the team's new Keenan Allen.
"At the end of the day, when you think about Tre', he really can be the Keenan Allen," Tomlinson said. "He can stretch the field or be the possession guy [...] a guy that, opposite of Quentin Johnston, is someone you need in a position like that. And then Ladd McConkey, obviously, as I mentioned, he's the jack of all trades that I would look for in that offense.
LaDainian Tomlinson thinks Tre' Harris can be the Chargers' new Keenan Allen
To be clear, LT isn't stating that Harris is instantly going to become one of the best receivers in the game and start a track toward being the best receiver in franchise history. That is the path Allen took, and expecting that out of Harris would be setting him up for failure.
Instead, Tomlinson is talking about the type of role Harris can play in this offense. One that is a perfect compliment to Ladd McConkey in the slot and Quentin Johnston as the X receiver. Someone who can beat teams with crisp route running in the short areas while also being a weapon down the field.
And if he's really going to emulate Allen in this offense, Harris will have to be a threat on third downs.
Now, this brings Allen's future into question. Allen remains a free agent even though general manager Joe Hortiz said the team wanted to bring him back this offseason. The Chargers have the money, and Allen has been pretty clear that he only wants to play in Los Angeles the rest of his NFL career.
So what gives? Are the Chargers expecting a jump from Harris and is that reducing the desire for Allen? Are the two sides not aligned on a price point? Does Allen not want a lesser role as the WR4? There are so many different paths of speculation, and ironically enough, Harris and his potential jump are right in the center of them all.
There's no such thing as too much wide receiver talent and in a perfect world, Allen would return on a team-friendly deal to mentor Harris into becoming the player he is capable of; a player who could be very similar to Allen himself.