The Los Angeles Chargers will return to action on Sunday afternoon for a Week 1 clash against the Arizona Cardinals, and after a busy offseason, it’s safe to say this team will look a little bit different. The Chargers made it a goal of theirs to take their offense to another level, which resulted in Mike McDaniel being hired as their new offensive coordinator.
McDaniel will team up with talented quarterback Justin Herbert and attempt to elevate his game to another level. In order to do that, it sounds like McDaniel is dusting off his full playbook, which he wasn’t necessarily able to use during his final years as the Miami Dolphins‘ head coach, in an effort to help unleash Herbert’s full potential.
Mike McDaniel Pulling Out All the Stops for Justin Herbert
McDaniel spent the past four years as the Dolphins’ head coach, and his time in town was a roller coaster ride, to say the least. Early on, McDaniel helped turn Miami’s offense into one of the most lethal units in the league, with Tua Tagovailoa becoming a Pro Bowl talent at quarterback. Everything unraveled over the past two seasons, though, as injuries resulted in Tagovailoa regressing into a borderline unplayable option under center.
Miami opted to move on from McDaniel this offseason, and he quickly drew quite a bit of interest from teams across the league. Rather than pursuing another head coaching gig, McDaniel accepted L.A.’s offensive coordinator opening, due in large part to the opportunity to work with Herbert.
While Herbert has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the league early on in his career, it has often felt like there’s another level to his game that has not been unlocked. McDaniel is the guy who will be tasked with getting him there, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, he’s going to be utilizing plays in his playbook that he has never called, simply because he now has Herbert at his disposal.
My understanding is there are some plays, a lot of plays, that he has never been able to call that we are going to see this year because he has Justin Herbert with the arm to do it,” Rapoport said on “NFL GameDay.” “They’re going to unleash and unlock so much of McDaniel’s playbook that he has not been able to call for years.
Chargers Have High Hopes for Justin Herbert, Mike McDaniel Pairing
Herbert is a two-time Pro Bowler already, but he hasn’t managed to deliver on the biggest stages for the Chargers. Through six seasons, Herbert doesn’t have a single playoff victory, and the last time we saw him, he looked like a shell of himself against the New England Patriots defense. For as good as he’s been, Herbert still needs to improve if L.A. wants to become a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
We have seen just how dominant a McDaniel-led offense can be in the past, and there’s reason to believe that he can be the guy who helps Herbert take his game to another level. Los Angeles will have a fantastic opportunity to get off on the right foot in the 2026 campaign with a matchup against a lowly Arizona squad, as kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.
Chargers’ Mike McDaniel Decision Could Unlock Justin Herbert