The Los Angeles Chargers will put their playoff aspirations to their first test Sunday when they play host to the rebuilding Arizona Cardinals in the season opener for both teams in Inglewood, Calif.
The Chargers addressed their biggest need in the offseason by signing free agent center Tyler Biadasz to a three-year contract. Then they lost the 2022 Pro Bowl selection for the season with a knee injury sustained during training camp.
With their offensive line scrambled anew, the Chargers now have rookie Jake Slaughter at center and newcomer Kayode Awosika at left guard. They will try to get quarterback Justin Herbert back to the level he showed in 2021 when he passed for career highs of 5,014 yards and 38 touchdowns in his second NFL season.
Keeping Herbert on two feet will be of the utmost importance after he was sacked a career-high 54 times in 2025. Herbert completed 66.4% of his passes last season for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns with 13 interceptions as the team went 11-6 before losing a wild-card playoff game to the New England Patriots.
Perhaps the biggest offseason addition of all for Los Angeles was new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who takes over for Greg Roman after Los Angeles averaged 21.6 points and 212.2 yards passing per game. McDaniel served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins the past four seasons.
“We’ll go out there Week 1, it’ll be four quarters and we’ll assess the tape after Week 1,” McDaniel said, according to the Orange County Register. “My expectation is not result-based, but that we’ll be able to improve on things from that tape and apply them to the next opponent, so that we can continue to get better.”
The Chargers’ defense ranked fifth in the NFL last season with 285.2 yards allowed per game and tied for third with 19 interceptions, including four each from Tony Jefferson and Donte Jackson.
The Cardinals went 3-14 last season, leaving plenty of room for improvement. However, six of their games this year will come against some of the top teams in the NFL, their NFC West rivals: the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
Quarterback Kyler Murray was released in the offseason after injuries limited him to only five games last season, although he did guide the team to two of its three victories. And the three defeats with Murray starting were all close, including one each to the 49ers (16-15) and Seahawks (23-20).
The Cardinals lost running back James Conner to an injury in Week 3, and the team went 1-13 in his absence. Arizona lost its final nine games behind quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur, Brissett is expected to start again ahead of Gardner Minshew II as third-round draft pick Carson Beck adapts to NFL life.
“The cool thing is that (LaFleur) does what best fits the guy who is in,” Brissett said. “There is a flexibility to do a multitude of different things. I think that’s the cool part about it. It’s been so fun to work with him, and his energy is something that is hard to replicate.”
The QB trio is in good hands. LaFleur’s game plan as offensive coordinator of the Rams last season helped Matthew Stafford win the NFL MVP award.
With Conner on injured reserve and out for at least the first four games of the season, LaFleur is expected to lean into a rushing attack that includes free agent addition Tyler Allgeier, who is listed atop the Week 1 depth chart. No. 3 overall draft pick Jeremiyah Love is next on the depth chart despite a nagging ankle injury.
Arizona wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will be in search of a better season after taking a slight regression in 2025. He had 41 receptions for 608 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games after going for 62 grabs, 885 yards and eight scores in 17 games as a rookie the prior year.
Chargers defensive back Deane Leonard (abdomen) missed practice on Wednesday, while Cardinals offensive lineman Isaiah Adams (knee) sat out that day’s session.