Left Coast Bolt

Bay raised. LA forged. Bolts forever.

Film, takes, and the truth about this team

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Everyone’s reacting to who Herbo is throwing to. Stop. Watch HOW he’s throwing. That’s touch on intermediate routes from a QB who’s been a human cannon his whole career. Watch the ball flight. That’s the real story from this OTA. Pay attention.

[Los Angeles Chargers @chargers]

herbo in motion

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

So where does that leave the Chargers? McDaniel runs 12 first. Gadsden, Kolar, and Njoku rotate through 2-TE sets while McConkey and Harris stay on the field. If 13 takes hold league-wide they have the TEs to follow. But that’s 2027’s conversation. Not 2026’s.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Context: 12 personnel hit 22.1% of NFL snaps in 2024 - highest rate in the 2000s. Over 10,000 plays with 2 TEs on the field for the first time since 2015. The league already made the shift to 12 first. 13 personnel is where the league is heading. It’s not where it is yet.

[Steven Haglund @StevenIHaglund]

Love that Mays chose to feature a Chargers TE on this particular episode. The Miami Dolphins used 13 personnel (3 TE’s on the field) just EIGHT total times last season according to Sumer Sports. Now that he has Gadsden, Kolar, and Njoku I would expect that number to increase dramatically. Gonna be super fun to watch how he uses that group in 2026!

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

And even the Rams’ 13 personnel explosion needs context. They ran it 6 snaps in the 4 years before 2025. It started as an injury-driven adjustment in Week 7. No other team ran it more than 10% last season. The Rams at 30.5% are a revolutionary outlier, not the new standard.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

And the QJ move. $4.5M this year. The fifth-year option locks him in at $18M in 2027. Watson just got $27.6M. Johnston has 8 TDs in back to back seasons, an improving trajectory, and McDaniel just arrived. At $18M in a $27M market you’re getting real value. Smart move.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

$27.6M AAV. Never topped 700 yards in a season. Coming off a torn ACL. Watson just became the 16th highest-paid receiver in football. The WR market is broken.

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

ESPN sources: Green Bay WR Christian Watson and the Packers reached agreement today on a four-year, $110.5 million contract extension that includes a $31 million signing bonus.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

AJ Brown would help any team in football. That’s not the debate. A 2028 first and $32M AAV for a 29-year-old is the debate. When acquiring elite WRs costs this much the only model that works is McConkey on a rookie deal, QJ at $4.5M, Harris developing. Draft your receivers.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

So is this overpaying? Only if you think James is a slot corner. He’s not - he’s the most versatile DB alive. 5 sacks, 94 tackles, All-Pro, playing every level of the defense. The $5.9M premium over a Harris-type deal is the price for everything else he brings. That’s fair.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Derwin James: $25.2M AAV. Highest-paid safety in NFL history.  But the AP named him slot corner All-Pro two years running. He played 385 slot snaps in 2024 and 351 in 2025. So let’s actually compare this to the history of slot corner money. 🧵

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Chris Harris Jr. was the gold standard. Peak in 2019: $12.05M on a $188.2M cap - 6.4% of the cap. Adjusted to the 2026 cap of $301.2M that equals $19.3M. James is at $25.2M - 8.37% of cap. Nearly $6M more cap-adjusted than the best slot corner in history ever made.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Given the age aspect this makes sense from Mesidor’s perspective

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

Chargers and first-round pick Akheem Mesidor have agreed on a four-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $20,456,392, per agents Robert Bailey and Drew Rosenhaus.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Chargers rookie Edge Rusher is currently 7th in DROTY odds per @FanDuel

[ChargersWorld @ChargersWorld]

Something about this offseason feels different.. idk how to explain it 👀⚡️

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Drops were always gonna be a concern for him…but an off frame ball like this shouldn’t be classified as “one of the worst drops”

[Dov Kleiman @NFL_DovKleiman]

Yikes: Browns rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion continues to drop passes at practice, this time a PERFECT throw from Deshaun Watson.

KC has struggled immensely so far this offseason...

One of the worst drops you will ever see 🤦‍♂️

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

For those confused…

[stabs @taStabss]

Makes me sick lad

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Elite

[Ryan DePaul @RyanDePaul]

In the last 5 seasons, here's an NFL list of DB's with:
30+ QB hits.
30+ tackles for loss.
30+ passes defensed.

Derwin James.
End of list.

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

First chargers pre season game is Thursday August 13th, @ 5:00pm PST

[Ian Rapoport @RapSheet]

The 2026 Preseason Schedule:

[Alex Insdorf @alexinsdorf99]

Chargers C Tyler Biadiasz on OC Mike McDaniel: "He's got it. I remember when we watched film together at my visit. We watched my film and then obviously putting it in perspective of the scheme, the offensive system that they were bringing to LA from Miami. And then we watched Justin Herbert, and we watched his abilities and everything like that."

"The first offensive meeting-All of us O-Linemen we walked out of that meeting-he put like a tape together and he kinda talked through each and every thing. We walked out of that meeting, we were excited, like we were all excited."

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Picture this. Super Bowl. Rams vs Chargers. Garrett wins DPOY on the most terrifying defense in football. Herbert second in MVP behind Stafford. On the biggest stage, the best pass rusher alive lines up across from Slater and Alt. He never gets there. RING ONE. #BoltUp

[Chargers Country @ChargersCountry]

Rashawn Slater vs Myles Garrett at Sofi.

Chargers vs Rams Week 8 ⚡️🐏

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Completely opposed to this.

[MLFootball @MLFootball]

🚨BREAKING: The #Chargers are now the FAVORITES to sign free agent wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

There was a 53% chance that Hill signs with Los Angeles, according to Polymarket.

Hill would be reunited with his former HC Mike McDaniel and have Justin Herbert throwing his bombs 👀

[Left Coast Bolt @LeftCoastBolt]

Slater and Alt healthy for training camp is the biggest story out of OTAs. Herbert took more hits than any QB last year without them. Two Pro Bowl tackles back for a full season with McDaniel calling plays. This changes the offense entirely.

[LAFB Network @LAFBNetwork]

The Chargers' franchise tackles are back on track 👀

Jim Harbaugh says it looks like BOTH Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt will be ready for the start of training camp.

A healthy O-Line changes EVERYTHING for Herbert...