New Chargers OC Mike McDaniel reveals key offensive change to help Justin Herbert reach Super Bowl heights
The new OC for the Chargers is focused on making Justin Herbert’s life easier going forward.
The Los Angeles Chargers made one of the splashiest coaching moves of the offseason this week by hiring former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator. The team recently moved on from OC Greg Roman.
The media got their first impression of the new OC on Tuesday, and McDaniel’s first media availability made it clear that he believes in the talent in the building for LA. He’s ready to take quarterback Justin Herbert to Super Bowl heights by making necessary adjustments to the operation.
Chargers OC Mike McDaniel wants to take more off Justin Herbert’s plate
McDaniel was crystal clear on his outlook for Herbert in his offense during his intro presser. He wants the super hero plays that everyone has seen the QB make to stay in the fold. He just doesn’t want to rely on them for overall success from the passing game.
Instead, the new OC is looking for ways to make life easier on Herbert, so he can avoid taking as many hits or forcing as many throws into tight windows. He wants to eliminate some of the hurdles that have plagued the passing game in recent seasons with other play calling at the helm.
“There’s a lot of incredible plays Justin has made. He’s firmly capable and sometimes as a coach you can rely upon that a little too much,” McDaniel explained further, “It can be taxing over time for a player to necessitate an incredible play too often to be able to score points and win football games. So you try to take it off of him by creating some low cost, high reward offense that he’s firmly capable of doing but maybe a player of lesser talent would be capable of doing as well.”
McDaniel acknowledges head coaching buzz after joining Harbaugh’s staff
The new offensive coordinator didn’t shy away from questions about seeking a head coaching job in the future. He remains open to that reality and admitted that it is still an end goal of his. That is to be expected, though. Nearly every assistant wants to one day lead their own team to a title.
That being said, he is committed to the Chargers and ready to build a dynamic offense to help them toward success in the near future.
“I very much am firmly where my feet are right now which is being the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers and being the very best at that…I’m focused on this,” McDaniel acknowledged.
There is no doubt that the expectations will be notably high entering next season.
The Chargers are expected to get back Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt at the tackle spots, two of the best in the game at their position. McDaniel noted that those two returning will make a massive impact on Herbert’s comfort level in the pocket, “You need good tackles just to set the depth of the pocket in general.”
Los Angeles Chargers News
Chargers make bold commitment that should rule out one choice for Los Angeles in round 1 of 2026 NFL Draft
The Chargers should focus elsewhere early in this year’s draft to improve roster.
