By admin 
The Los Angeles Chargers are suddenly in the danger zone following their 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Their offense looked completely disjointed, and there is now some real concern that new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s system simply won’t work with quarterback Justin Herbert.
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Herbert completed 17 of 27 passing attempts for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception while getting sacked three times. The Cardinals dominated time of possession on Sunday, and now three of the Chargers’ wide receivers, including Ladd McConkey, are injured.
There is a feeling among many fans and pundits that Herbert, despite his impressive physical traits, has underachieved since coming into the NFL in 2020. The hope was that McDaniel’s faster-moving, more rhythmic offense would unlock the best version of Herbert.
That could still happen, but if it does, it could paradoxically make things a little tougher on the signal-caller moving forward.
Herbert hasn’t had coaching stability
For young NFL quarterbacks to develop as much and as fast as they can, it helps when they can stay under the same head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive system for at least a few years. Herbert hasn’t had that luxury.
As a rookie, he played for then-head coach Anthony Lynn. Then came Brandon Staley for two seasons and change until he was fired following that humiliating loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 14, 2023. Giff Smith, who had been L.A.’s outside linebackers coach, finished the year as its interim head coach before the franchise hired Jim Harbaugh in 2024.
Per Mike Sando of The Athletic, an NFL defensive coach compared Herbert to Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills’ superstar QB, but with one very important distinction.
“Both are a tick slower than most top quarterbacks at seeing the game and processing it, this coach said,” Sando wrote. “That gives defenses a chance to counter their superior athletic and throwing ability. The way the defensive coach sees things, Allen has been in the same offense long enough to improve his processing (this is his fourth season with Brady calling plays). That has helped him ascend. Herbert, in contrast, is on his fifth offensive coordinator in seven NFL seasons.”
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This coach believes that if the Chargers turn things around and Herbert plays well, that carousel at offensive coordinator will only continue to spin out of control after the conclusion of this season.
“I still like the guy and think he’s good,” this defensive coach said of Herbert. “But if he does have a little success, Mike (McDaniel) will get a new job as a head coach. He just has to have a decent year, and the cycle will continue for the quarterback.”
McDaniel, of course, was the Miami Dolphins’ head coach during the previous four seasons before they fired him. One reality of life in the NFL is that when an offensive or defensive coordinator does a fine job, it is only a matter of time before he heads to another team, either as a coordinator or head coach.
Miami hired McDaniel after he had spent just one year as the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator. But he had spent many years in the league as an assistant coach, going back to 2005 when he was just 22 years of age.
It seems like Harbaugh’s job is safe — after all, he’s a proven winner. But if Herbert is going to become a truly elite quarterback, not to mention win a Super Bowl championship, time is starting to run out.
“How long has he been in the league now?” a defensive coordinator asked. “They’ve never won a playoff game. I get it, but, like, if you’re the guy, at some point, I feel like they’ve been sniffing around enough. He should have had more accolades at this point.”
Herbert is now 28 years of age. If he doesn’t win a playoff game soon (he has lost all three of his postseason games this far), it will start to become hard to make excuses for him.
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 9:00 AM.