Justin Herbert Is Starting Fresh With New-look Chargers Offense

Justin Herbert is starting from nan crushed up successful Mike McDaniel’s new-look Chargers offense.

The 28-year-old backmost has dedicated overmuch of nan offseason to tweaking his footwork — putting his near ft successful beforehand of his correct from nan shotgun, against accepted NFL shape — to fresh Los Angeles’ caller violative coordinator’s scheme.

McDaniel prioritizes getting nan shot to playmakers successful abstraction arsenic efficiently arsenic possible, arsenic he did for 4 seasons arsenic nan Miami Dolphins caput coach pinch speedy wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and envisions Herbert’s flip successful footing accelerating and syncing nan timing of passes pinch receivers’ way breaks.

“If guys train it truthful that they don’t person to deliberation astir it and they tin beryllium comfortable, you tin do a mates things that put nan defense successful a hindrance pinch really you do your footwork,” McDaniel said astatine Chargers minicamp from El Segundo. “I don’t instruction it. With Justin, I really conscionable showed him wherever I thought it would beryllium advantageous, and he didn’t blink for a 2nd and was excited to onslaught it.”

“The patternization successful Mike McDaniel’s strategy has required immoderate footwork changes,” added caput coach Jim Harbaugh. “[Herbert’s] been moving very hard, very difficult astatine those. And arsenic you would expect, Justin has picked it up.”

McDaniel said he sewage nan thought arsenic an up-and-comer connected staffs successful Houston and Washington alongside existent 49ers caput coach Kyle Shanahan and pointed to Matt Ryan and Tua Tagovailoa arsenic caller quarterbacks pinch whom he has implemented nan stance alteration and reaped affirmative results.

Herbert, who has been 1 of those accepted right-handed quarterbacks to person their correct ft guardant from nan shotgun, has embraced his caller coordinator’s methodology.

“It’s astir playing nan measurement that [McDaniel] sees nan backmost position being played,” Herbert said, “and talking astir really we tin get nan shot to nan receivers successful a position wherever they tin tally pinch it and let them to do nan things that they’re truthful bully at: making plays.”

To accelerate his adaptation, Herbert has thrown little successful believe sessions and done plentifulness of drills without a shot — 2 markers that are simply dissimilar nan seven-year veteran, who is known to sling nan stone plentifulness astatine believe and successful games.

McDaniel and Harbaugh added that, too helping Herbert set his feet, keeping nan shot retired of their quarterback’s hands during nan offseason will thief him enactment caller later successful nan regular season.

Herbert is connected board, but made it clear he does not require immoderate maintenance.

“I’ve thrown a batch of footballs, and it’s May and June and I didn’t deliberation it was arsenic basal to propulsion arsenic overmuch now,” Herbert said. “And do everything I tin to get nan footwork fresh and get nan discourtesy down. The throws, they’ll beryllium there. We’ve sewage plentifulness of clip successful campy and passim OTAs to get timing. I deliberation it’s been smart by everyone, taking it easy.”

Herbert added that it’s amended to attraction connected wherever his feet are now alternatively than successful a live, meaningful game. However, Harbaugh and McDaniel said Herbert is ramping up his throwing successful believe pinch training campy looming.

The Chargers expect large things retired of McDaniel’s discourtesy aft they averaged a subpar 21.6 points per crippled successful 2025.

Harbaugh and McDaniel are hopeful for profession years from Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey and Tre’ Harris — precisely what nan wideouts want to hear.

“As you each cognize … nan timing, that’s a different facet for america than we’re utilized to, but I deliberation it’s great,” McConkey said. “It conscionable gets nan shot successful nan playmakers’ hands and lets america spell to work.”

Before immoderate dreams of nan Chargers winning a Super Bowl connected their location SoFi Stadium turf tin travel existent adjacent season, Herbert must simply get his footing, pinch his feet and caller playbook.

“I’m judge you guys are eager to spot him execute successful a precocious respect successful nan worldly that we’re doing,” McDaniel said. “You sewage to beryllium diligent … that’s been portion of nan very calculated, very deliberate, intentional process that we return into nan offseason.”