Top 10 Los Angeles Chargers Players Going Into the 2025-26 Season

Could it be anybody else? Justin Herbert is the clear face of the franchise. He is undoubtedly a top 10 quarterback in the league right now. The entire reason why the Chargers are relevant at the moment has to be because of Justin Herbert. He had a decent 2024 season, finishing with 3,870 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only 3 interceptions.

Unfortunately, his playoff performance leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many. Some consider him on par with Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. I don't know if he's there quite yet. He doesn't quite have the accolades to warrant being in that category, but he's been very close to it. He's what we'd call a social media quarterback. Even then, he had to deal with Brandon Staley as his coach.

Jim Harbaugh knows how to succeed in the NFL and will get the most out of Justin Herbert, who I still think hasn't reached his ceiling yet.

Derwin James has been interesting. He started off strong his rookie season, then injuries derailed his sophomore season. When he was finally healthy again, he was decent, but there were signs of regression under Brandon Staley. He looked underwhelming at times.

But last year was a resurgence of sorts. He made a Pro Bowl and Second Team All-Pro last season. His ceiling has always been high, and the Chargers have done a good job of tapping into his potential. There's good reason to believe he'll have an elite season in 2025, and the best is still yet to come.

Rashawn Slater has been great from the very beginning of his career. He made a Pro Bowl and Second Team All-Pro in 2021 alone. Injuries slowed him down in 2022, but since then he's returned to elite form and has become the franchise offensive tackle the Chargers have needed.

PFF consistently ranks him as one of the best offensive tackles in the league, and it's not hard to see why. Having him along with Joe Alt, the Chargers have a sturdy, formidable offensive line that can stand strong for a decade.

With Joey Bosa now gone, Khalil Mack is the true veteran presence left on the defense. Mack needs no introduction. He's had quite the impressive resume throughout his NFL career up to this point. He's made 9 Pro Bowls, 4 First Team All-Pro selections, a Second Team All-Pro selection, 2 Butkus Award wins, a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016, and he was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

He's continued to perform at an elite level for years. The only concern I have is his age. Mack is entering year 12 in the league and is in his mid-30s. At some point, you begin to wonder how much more he's got left in the tank. The Chargers better hope he has at least one more good season left.

The Chargers hit a home run last year when they picked Joe Alt in the draft. Alt had a very impressive rookie season, already cementing himself as not only the top rookie offensive lineman but one of the best offensive linemen in the league itself.

There was a reason why Alt was a highly regarded prospect in last year's draft. He proved he was well worth the top 10 pick. Alt had an outstanding rookie season, and there's no reason to believe he won't be even better in year 2. Consider yourselves lucky, Chargers. Alt and Slater are a dynamic offensive line duo that will stick around for years to come.

Ladd McConkey is likely going to be the WR1 for the Chargers in 2025-26. McConkey wasted no time establishing himself as one of the most promising and talented receivers in the league.

Expectations were generally high, to be fair, but I think it's safe to say that he exceeded those expectations. He legitimately proved he can be a true WR1. Even if he is a little undersized, he still possesses the necessary skill set to thrive. Finishing the season with 1,149 yards and 7 touchdowns is surely nothing to scoff at.

I feel like Najee Harris isn't really talked about enough, and the Steelers fanbase reception on him seems to be generally mixed. He's a good but not an elite running back by any means. Sure, he may not be the most explosive running back or make the most game-changing plays, but he's still a consistently solid running back. He's never had less than 1,000 yards in any of his 4 seasons so far.

Jim Harbaugh likes to run the ball a ton, and Najee has proven that he's a physical, durable running back who can handle a high workload. It'll be interesting to see how they split the workload between him and Omarion Hampton. Overall, I think Najee is a valuable addition to the Chargers' offense.

Tarheeb Still had quite the impressive rookie season in 2024. He immediately became a key contributor for the Chargers secondary with 45 solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles, totaling 62 tackles. He also led the team with 4 interceptions, even scoring a pick-six.

Still was one of the highest-graded defensive rookies in 2024 according to PFF. Year 2, he should be even better. Honestly, he's just scratching the surface of what he's truly capable of. The Chargers got themselves a true draft steal. If he plays like that in 2025, the Chargers have themselves a true stalwart in their secondary. They need it, considering the teams they face in the division.

Daiyan Henley was undoubtedly one of the biggest breakout players for the Chargers in 2024. His rookie season in 2023 was a little rough under Brandon Staley. He was nowhere even remotely close to unlocking his true potential. His improvement from rookie to sophomore year was nothing short of impressive.

He played 53 snaps total as a rookie and then played 91% of the defensive snaps in 2024, which was the most of anyone on the team. He would finish the season with 84 solo tackles and 63 assisted tackles, for a grand total of 147 tackles, which also led the team. If he can continue playing like that, the Chargers will have a mainstay franchise linebacker for years to come. It's shocking he didn't make the Pro Bowl, honestly.