Mike McDaniel left the podium in San Diego with plenty to talk about after a 27-minute session that turned into one of the more revealing stretches of Chargers camp so far. The offensive coordinator, wearing Tony Stark-style glasses when he opened his press conference Wednesday, said quarterback Justin Herbert and running back Omarion Hampton are both moving quickly in the early days of camp.
Herbert, in particular, has impressed McDaniel with how fully he has taken to the new offense. The coach said the quarterback has been willing to make changes to his footwork and even his shotgun stance, a notable ask for a player entering his seventh NFL season.
“Full lean-in, full buy-in and I can't stress it enough, it's very difficult for high performers to do things outside of what's given them success,” McDaniel said.
That willingness to adapt has mattered because Herbert is now dealing with his fifth offensive coordinator in the NFL and his ninth offensive system since becoming Oregon's starting quarterback. McDaniel said the learning curve has not slowed him down.
“He's really progressing as fast as one could even picture, much faster than I was planning for,” McDaniel said.
Herbert’s first turnover of camp came Tuesday during the Chargers’ first padded practice. On a pass meant for rookie receiver Tre Harris, safety Kendall Williamson fought through the play and ripped the ball away.
McDaniel saw the rep as a useful sign, not a setback.
“It [The interception] was a great rep,” McDaniel said.
He explained that Herbert was doing exactly what the staff wanted, even if the result went the wrong way on the stat sheet.
“He threw a pick simply because he's leaning into the process and getting comfortable with all the things we're asking him to do,” McDaniel said. “On that particular play, he has his eyes set on an eligible here and reset the throw and got an incredible learning experience that will benefit him in the game."
McDaniel added that Herbert handled the moment the right way.
“It was the first time he executed in a live situation, that reset high-low I'm asking him to do,” McDaniel said. "He had the timing, he got the space where it should be completed and he didn't get rattled by the result, which is what is so key for guys in training camp if you're trying to do something special during the year."
Hampton also made noise Tuesday once the pads came on. The second-year back bounced a handoff outside, found a crease and showed the burst that had people buzzing, even without live tackling to the ground.
McDaniel said the growth has been obvious.
“From the first day we've gotten on the field to [Tuesday], you could argue and crown he's had as much, if not the most growth, of any player,” McDaniel said.
For Hampton, simply getting back into pads was part of the thrill.
“It had been so long,” Hampton said Wednesday. “It was exciting to get out there with all the guys and have pads on.”
Hampton flashed real promise as a rookie when healthy, though injuries kept interrupting his season. At 6-foot and 220 pounds, he has the kind of size-speed blend that can change the tone of a run game, and McDaniel made clear the staff sees room to keep shaping how he runs through contact.
“In and around contact, some of the things we can work with ball carriers is how they approach tacklers,” McDaniel said. “For him and his skillset, no one wants to tackle that guy, that is a massive human moving very fast. The less we can get him to stop his feet and do what we call slash and pick edges of defenders and shoulder punch him, the better.”
McDaniel also pointed to the fit between Hampton and running backs coach Max McCaffrey, calling it a strong match for a player he described as locked in on improvement.
“He's a perfect pairing for... Max McCaffrey, because this guy [Hampton] is completely obsessed and focused,” McDaniel said. "His track and the urgency with which we're trying to get him to start the play at the beginning of the play, it has been phenomenal.”
In Other News...
Chargers Return To San Diego Reopens Feelings Fans Never Resolved
For the second straight summer, the Chargers spent two days of training camp back at the University of San Diego, a familiar setting that still carries a heavy charge for a franchise that left the city years ago. Coach Jim Harbaugh acknowledged the organizations connection to San Diego, while Justin Herbert said he appreciated the chance to return, giving the visit a little more meaning than a routine camp stop.
The trip also included a tribute to former San Diego linebacker Billy Ray Smith, who recently passed away, another reminder that the Chargers past in the city is never far from the surface. Even a brief return can reopen old feelings for fans who never fully moved on, and the atmosphere around this camp again showed how much history still lingers whenever the team comes back. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Harbaugh Just Raised The Stakes In Chargers Left Guard Battle
Jim Harbaughs latest update on the Chargers left guard spot only sharpened attention on one of the teams quieter but more important battles heading into the stretch run of camp. The coach discussed the competition at the position and singled out Kayode Awosika as the player currently setting the pace, a noteworthy development for a unit that has been sorting through options as the roster takes shape.
The timing matters because the next phase of practice should start to separate the contenders, and Harbaugh made clear the evaluation is far from over. For a Chargers offense trying to build consistency up front, left guard is one of those jobs that can still swing depending on how the coming work looks, which is why this battle now feels a little more urgent than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Still Have One Big Way To Help Justin Herbert
With preseason opener prep against the Texans underway, the Chargers are still taking a hard look at how best to support Justin Herbert in a new-look setup. Mike McDaniel and Chris OLeary are settling in as coordinators, and the early emphasis has been clear enough: build around the offense, especially along the offensive line and at tight end, where added help could make the unit sturdier from week to week.
Grant Gordon believes the next move could come from the veteran market, where the Chargers would have a familiar route to more reliability. The idea is to bring back Keenan Allen for another layer of trust in the passing game while also exploring a proven guard to stabilize the front, a reminder that even after a round of offensive upgrades, Herbert could still benefit from one more calculated push. [Read more 🡒]