The Los Angeles Chargers brought in Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator for the 2026-27 campaign, where he will be working closely with quarterback Justin Herbert. While the offensive guru will be designing unique play calls for the club's star quarterback, one ESPN analyst is seemingly more excited for another player on the offense.
In Ben Solak's latest column for ESPN, going over which coach-player pairings he's excited to watch next season, he reveals that McDaniel working with running back Omarion Hampton is one he is paying attention to. Solak believes that the 43-year-old OC will utilize his strength as a play caller for run plays to put Hampton in a position to work as a star-caliber rusher.
“Far be it from me to take any wind out of the Herbert sails that are blowing strong in Los Angeles these days. I simply think the salutary effect of McDaniel stepping into Greg Roman's shoes has a reach far greater than just the passing game, and Hampton's rookie season was far more promising than a cursory glance at his production would imply,” Solak wrote. “This is a big-play walking in an offense built to get big plays out of the running back. Time for fireworks.”
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As Solak describes in his article, Hampton is a physical runner who isn't afraid of contact. While that is a much different run-style than what McDaniel is used to with De'Von Achane with the Miami Dolphins, Omarion Hampton still brings plenty of speed to the table to make big plays happen.
Ankle injuries limited the 23-year-old running back to just nine games last season. When on the field, he looked great for the Chargers, finishing the campaign with 545 rushing yards, 192 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving). Hampton managed to average 4.4 yards per rush attempt, which is about the average across the NFL.
The Los Angeles Chargers brought in Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator for the 2026-27 campaign, where he will be working closely with quarterback Justin Herbert. While the offensive guru will be designing unique play calls for the club's star quarterback, one ESPN analyst is seemingly more excited for another player on the offense.