Chargers’ Overlooked Area of Concern Will Be Hot-Button Issue By Mid-July

When it comes to problems the Los Angeles Chargers could face in training camp very soon, it’s not hard to name the heavyweight options.

By far the biggest hurdle appears to be the offensive line.

Justin Herbert has annually had guard problems in front of him and 2026 could be no different. Cole Strange came over in free agency as an unquestioned starter, yet isn’t guaranteed to blossom under Mike McDaniel. The team drafted Jake Slaughter, a college center, to play guard, but he’s started his pro career behind journeyman free agent additions.

There could be issues at other spots on the offense, too, considering the entire unit is trying to get acclimated to new coordinator Mike McDaniel’s scheme. While there have been additions at every level of the unit to ease and fit the transition, growing pains could be a staple of training camp.

One thing almost being taken for granted around the Chargers, though, could end up being the biggest out-of-nowhere issue to watch during camp.

NFL training camp could expose big Chargers problem

Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack — Khalil Mack | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Most just aren’t talking about the Chargers’ edge-rushing room before camp.

Perhaps they should be.

It’s easy to not question a unit led by Khalil Mack. But he played just 424 snaps last year with 5.5 sacks and 23 pressures. There was an injury in there, but he played just 616 over 16 games in 2024, too. He’s 35 years old.

Granted, Tuli Tuipulotu is a breakout star at just 23 and on his way to a mega-contract extension after tallying 13 sacks last season. No reason to think he slows down, but if he suddenly has to go it alone as the sole focus of an opposing offense, there’s going to be problems.

This is actually an issue that ESPN’s Seth Walder highlighted in a national column.

“Can Khalil Mack deliver again at age 35? Can Akheem Mesidor be disruptive as a rookie? If the answer to those questions is yes, that would go a long way toward helping a Chargers defense that lost former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter,” Walder wrote. “If no, then those two and Tuli Tuipulotu could hold back the defense.”

Keep in mind that Mack-Tuipulotu, with a brief injury in there, forced the Chargers to hit the trade block and add Odafe Oweh via trade last season. He broke out in the scheme, but then the front office didn’t want to pay him market value to stick in town.

Instead, the Chargers used a first-round pick on Akheem Mesidor. He’s an older rookie and the Chargers clearly hope he can do what Oweh did for the rotation right away, never mind the fact he might be looking a fifth-year option around the age of 30.

With Mack unfortunately a possible regression candidate and nothing guaranteed from Mesidor despite his age, a lack of quality pass-rush for a unit that just lost one of the NFL’s best coordinators could be a sneaky problem to watch once training camp really gets rolling.

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