Herbert earned his second Pro Bowl honor in 2025 after carrying the Chargers offense through an injury-riddled campaign. He lost both of his offensive tackles midseason and played through a broken left hand that required surgery in late November. He didn’t miss a meaningful start despite the adversity, passing for 3,727 yards, 28 total touchdowns and a 94.1 passer rating while leading the Bolts to an 11-win regular season.
A 3-pointer in the Wild Card round quickly ended the Chargers’ playoff run, and Greg Roman fired as OC followed. McDaniel suggested the best is yet to come from Herbert, who came off his sophomore season with 5,014 passing yards and 38 TDs in 2021.
“I think you have a competitive player who every year tries to get better at what he does,” McDaniel said of Herbert. “I don’t think he has scratched the surface or approached the ceiling of what he is capable of. He can make every throw, but as a competitor, you can tell he enjoys it as the national team and the quarterback in football – he enjoys all the burden that is the responsibility of touching the ball every play, then having to be your best and when your best is striving for it in general, how is it always needed, I, how a player. after halftime and there’s a lot we can do here with him up front.”
With Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt expected to be ready in 2026, the protection issues Herbert faced last season will be greatly improved. Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston represent a young receiver corps currently under contract, while veteran Keenan Allen is set to become a free agent this offseason. Running back Omarion Hampton and tight end Oronde Gadsden II provided promising prospects in their 2025 rookie campaigns.
McDaniel is looking forward to putting it all together.
“I think it’s a really cool opportunity because I think the best offenses cater to the players they have, their current skill sets and develop into what their talents are,” he said. “I think we have a lot of young players at the skill positions, especially, we got two great tackles back and I think with a skill set like Justin’s you can do things on the field and in the air that can really disrupt defenses. So I think there are a lot of tools there.
“I think it’s important to have a good season that we’re going to do. And you know, I think what you’re working with is something that’s going to be unique. I’m excited to see where the offense goes and how it develops through the skill sets of these players, and I think the biggest thing is we want to create a system where their offense and their attributes can really be at their best in December and January, which is the thing when you’re playing playoff games.”
McDaniel’s rise through the NFL coaching ranks began in San Francisco as OC and culminated in Miami, where he spent the last four seasons as the head coach of the Dolphins. Implementing his high-flying offense, which saw the emergence of Tua Tagovailoa, McDaniel won two playoff games in his first two seasons at the helm, but that momentum disappeared in 2024 and 2025 for a variety of reasons, injuries being the most prominent culprit.