With the 2026 season slowly approaching, the Chargers are among the teams that many believe can take a leap.
They've put themselves in a good position to do just that, with many thinking the Bolts can win the AFC West and possibly become the top seed in the conference once January rolls around.
There's a long way to go for that to happen. In the meantime, six NFL executives ranked the AFC teams heading into the season, and Los Angeles was ranked the 8th-best team in the NFL.
The average and median rankings from six NFL executives put the Chargers on the outside looking in the playoff race. The seven teams ahead of Los Angeles in this ranking are the Bengals, Chiefs, Ravens, Patriots, Texans, Broncos and the Bills.
The Chargers were ranked as high
as sixth and as low as ninth.
One NFL executive believes the Chargers will be a better team in 2026.
"I think the Chargers will be better," one exec said. "They still have some deficiencies on defense, specifically on the back end. I would think they can't have multiple years of your offensive line being decimated. The quarterback (Justin Herbert) is really good, super talented."
There's a lot to look forward to with the Chargers, especially on offense. Optimism is high, led by Mike McDaniel and his offensive scheme.
Justin Herbert has high odds to win MVP and could have the best season of his career yet. Others like Omarion Hampton, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston are set to have a massive year for the Chargers.
As for the defense, they are led by a new coordinator, Chris O'Leary. O'Leary has all the tools to lead the defense to finish as a top-10 unit and possibly finish in the top five if things fall their way.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Where do Chargers stand among the AFC? NFL executives answer
