The Los Angeles Chargers, after an 0-5 start to the season, need to undertake a serious re-evaluation of their priorities as an organization.
Perhaps, by the end of the campaign, this offense starts to click. Maybe we see the old version of Justin Herbert, and maybe it's simply a matter of time until Mike McDaniel's anticipatory-centric scheme can unlock the team's star quarterback.
But as of now, the Chargers are effectively eliminated from playoff contention. That means that, for all intents and purposes, this is a lost season. Capitalizing on assets at the trade deadline is only the reasonable thing to do.
Any time a team with talent like the Chargers have takes on that posture, though, there's bound to be speculation. Could the team consider moving Justin Herbert? What about star defender Derwin James Jr.?
The short answer is no.
But even that consideration begs the question—who on this roster is safe if Joe Hortiz starts taking calls between now and Nov. 10? The following isn't an extensive list—as rookies like Akheem Mesidor and Jake Slaughter obviously aren't being moved—but it does attempt to answer that question with as wide a breadth as possible.
Los Angeles needs to identify a vision for the future of this team. These are the players that, unquestionably, should be a part of that.
Players that unquestionably won't be moved at the 2026 trade deadline for the Chargers
1. Justin Herbert, QB
I'm not going to say that the question of moving on from Herbert has already been laid to rest. But he has a full no-trade clause in his contract, and he would have to approve any move that Los Angeles would even want to make in the first place. It seems highly unlikely that the Chargers would be willing to start from square one at quarterback even in the offseason.
Herbert has struggled this season, sure—and that shouldn't be a controversial statement. He's completed just 85 passes on the year, and his seven interceptions (and sky-high 4.9 interception percentage) put him on pace for major career highs in both categories.
But replacing a quarterback of Herbert's talent level is a near-impossible feat even with a top pick. Given what he's shown us to this point in his career, he's simply not the type of player you move on from.
2. Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, OT
This one is obvious, so I won't spend a ton of time on it. Any chance this team has of reaching its offensive ceiling, no matter who the coordinator or what the scheme is, rests on top performance from Los Angeles' bookend tackles.
Although Alt struggled with penalties over the early portion of the season, he largely returned to the form he had before his season-ending ankle injury last year. Slater struggled comparatively, but that's to be expected when returning from a severe injury like the one that ended his 2025 campaign.
We'll have to put the evaluation of their returns on pause as both players deal with injuries, but there's no chance either Alt or Slater is moved off of this roster—either now or in the future.
3. Derwin James Jr., S
This is a more controversial one, as James' name has popped up in various trade conversations since the Chargers' season started going downhill.
Sure, James may not have the pure production to justify his pay-grade as the highest-paid safety in the league after his three-year, $75.6 million extension. But any chance James has of justifying that value rests on his cornerstone status within the Chargers' defensive scheme. He's the piece—with his ability to play virtually anywhere on the field and do so with veracity—that makes this whole thing work: especially if Hortiz wants to continue to take the cheap route on talent for the rest of the secondary.
Without another true star performing at that level in the secondary, moving James shouldn't even be a real question at the moment.
4. Ladd McConkey, WR
There's plenty of room to argue that the Chargers need a true star in their receiving corps, and it doesn't seem as though McConkey has the dominant skill set to take on that role. He's likely better suited, in the long-term, as a complementary WR2 to a true, consistent X receiver.
But even if Los Angeles is able to grab, say, Jeremiah Smith in the upcoming Draft, there's no world where this offense reaches its projected heights without someone like McConkey in the fold. The Chargers also have McConkey on his cost-controlled rookie deal at least through next season.
5. Omarion Hampton, RB
The argument for Hampton is similar to the one above, and it's not truly worth spending much time on. Even if Hampton is going to need a complementary back next to him in the Los Angeles backfield, no matter what the scheme or viability of the run game is, he still has the potential to be a true star for this offense. He possesses the acceleration, explosiveness, and physicality in the second level that, at least theoretically, puts him on par with some of the best running backs in the NFL.
There's room to critique the Chargers' decision to spend a first-round pick on a running back without a fully-formed offensive line. But now that Hampton's on the roster, he's here to stay.
6. Tuli Tuipulotu, OLB
This is another one that will certainly get some attention as we get closer to the trade deadline, not least of which because the Chargers will almost certainly consider moving Khalil Mack to a contender before it's all said and done. Notably, Los Angeles still hasn't come to terms on an extension for Tuipulotu—and his production has been down over the first five games of this season.
But even if the Chargers don't move Mack, this is almost certainly the veteran's final NFL season, meaning Los Angeles needs to identify and develop its pass rush of the future. Mesidor has looked great so far, but he's nowhere near ready to take over an alpha role unless the team is undertaking a full-scale rebuild.
Keeping Tuipulotu on this roster beyond this season is an absolute necessity.
7. Charlie Kolar, TE
Kolar isn't on par with the other players on this list in terms of importance to the roster. But the Chargers committed to him with a three-year, $24 million deal in free agency that likely surpassed his true market value, and don't expect them to move him just because the offense has struggled.
He's under contract for the next two seasons, and while Los Angeles has an easy out after 2027, it doesn't have another tight end with Kolar's true blocking abilities—an absolutely integral piece of any modern NFL offense, McDaniel or not. Perhaps Njoku gets moved to make way for some growth from Oronde Gadsden II, but I'd expect Kolar to remain on this roster, hopefully as a key contributor, at least through next season.
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