The Chargers have made progress under Jim Harbaugh over the last two years, but it’s worth noting that both seasons ended in the same frustrating fashion.

The disappointing way they were bounced from the playoffs by the Texans and Patriots doesn’t negate the headway the Chargers have made under Harbaugh. But the two first-round losses exposedsome flaws that need to be fixedif the club wants to take a significant step forward in 2026.

A few have already been addressed, including the decision tomove on from offensive coordinatorGreg Roman and offensive line coach Mike Devlin shortly after the wild-card playoff loss to the Patriots.

Roman was replaced byformer Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel,who is expected to breathe life and innovation into an offense that stagnated under Roman. Devlin was replaced by Butch Barry, who worked under McDaniel in the same role in Miami.

Those moves mark the first step in a series of offseason changes designed to improve the infrastructure around quarterback Justin Herbert.

Step 2 is upgrading the personnel, with the offensive line and wide receiver being among the biggest focal points.

As the Chargers’ decision-makers head to Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine, here are some areas of improvement they are expected to lock in on:

You can’t tell the story of the Chargers’ offensive struggles last year without pointing out the losses of their two offensive tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. Slater missed the season with a knee injury, while an ankle injury limited Alt to six games.

There are very few teams, if any, that can just brush off the loss of two Pro Bowl-level tackles. And while the Chargers managed to win 11 games and advance to the playoffs, the absences of Slater and Alt had a profound effect on why the offense never truly took off, and why Herbert was sacked 54 times and pressured a league-high 268 times.

But they weren’t the sole reasons, either. Yes, getting them back healthy will help things considerably — but so is making upgrades on the interior, an area the Chargers struggled in at right guard, where free agent pick-up Mekhi Becton never settled in, and at center, where Bradley Bozeman graded out as one of the NFL’s worst pass blockers and was merely average as a run blocker.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos