Chargers OC Mike McDaniel plans to refine QB Justin Herbert’s footwork, timing and anticipation to unlock the “best football of his career.”

09 May 2026

McDaniel explained Herbert’s strengths and weaknesses to ESPN’s Kris Rhim, noting that Herbert performs efficiently when he either gets the ball out in under 2.4 seconds or less, or “extends plays and launches it down the field.” However, Herbert’s efficiency decreases as the time to throw reaches three seconds. McDaniel plans to “max out those quick throws,” which was a staple in McDaniel’s Dolphins’ offenses, while also allowing Herbert to extend plays at times. That said, McDaniel does not want to make the offense reliant on Herbert’s ability to go above and beyond. He stopped short of explaining that aspect, but McDaniel’s offenses typically feature an efficient, voluminous run game. We expect that to be the case here as well. Herbert finished as the QB10 last year. He has decent odds of working his way up the QB1 tier this year.