For the Chargers, this is about proving last year's playoff appearance wasn't a ceiling. LA went 11-6 and made it to the Wild Card round before New England's defense mauled Herbert in a 16-3 exit, a game that exposed just how far this offense still had to go under the previous staff. Derwin James signing a 3-year, $75.6 million extension and Ladd McConkey buying into the new scheme are the kind of storylines a team hangs a rebuild-year mentality on, even after a winning season.
Neither team's recent stretch inspires much confidence heading into a fresh season. The Chargers closed last year on a 1-4 skid that included back-to-back 3-point showings against Denver and New England, offensive stalls that are exactly what McDaniel was brought in to fix. Buffalo's finish was choppier but higher-ceiling: a blowout of the Jets, a road win over Jacksonville, then a shootout loss to Denver that ended the season. Both units are essentially installing new answers to old problems, which makes early-season form more noise than signal.
The injury boards lean encouraging for both sides right now. Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt both expect to be ready for camp on the Chargers' offensive line, a unit that has to hold up for Herbert's quicker-rhythm passing game to work. Buffalo's list is mostly clean too, with Ray Davis, DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir all tracking normally, though Dorian Williams and Cole Bishop are worth watching on the defensive side as camp ramps up.