Justin Herbert is starting to get the kind of respect that has too often slipped past him in national quarterback debates.
Ahead of Week 1, the Chargers quarterback still has plenty working against him. Los Angeles’ interior offensive line remains a problem, and the Tyler Biadasz injury only adds to that concern.
There are other questions hanging over the roster, too. But Herbert also has real help now, and that matters.
The skill talent around him is strong, and Mike McDaniel brings a different kind of offensive ceiling than the more cautious systems Herbert has played in before.
That shift showed up in Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer’s annual quarterback poll, where Herbert landed sixth. He finished ahead of names like Dak Prescott and Drake Maye, which is not how these rankings usually go.
Breer pointed to the way NFL people have viewed Herbert, writing, “It feels to me a little like how NFL folks looked at Stafford when he was in Detroit,” Breer wrote. “But this could be the year he really breaks through.
One VP ranked him second and texted, ‘[Mike] McDaniel will push him to the next level. The team is stacked, and with better injury luck, they’ll go far.’”
That kind of placement feels overdue if you’ve watched Herbert closely. He has long looked like a clear top-10 quarterback, with an arm few players can match and the kind of physical tools that jump off the screen. He’s already thrown for 5,000-plus yards in a season, and the larger story around his career has been how much he has had to carry in spite of a shaky organization around him.
The interesting part now is what comes next. If Herbert keeps growing in a modern offense and the Chargers finally get some playoff traction, the conversation around him could change again.
Top three? That’s hard to call.
But this does feel like a turning point.
A lot of the built-in excuses around Herbert - the constant coordinator changes, the organizational instability, the rest of the usual Chargers mess - don’t carry the same weight anymore. With McDaniel in place, he has a real shot to make the leap both on the field and in the yearly quarterback rankings that have so often sold him short.
In Other News...
Chargers Injury Report Already Exposes A Problem Before Arizona
The Chargers first official injury report of the 2026 season arrived with an immediate reminder that Week 1 rarely comes with a clean bill of health. Tuli Tuipulotu, Deane Leonard and RJ Mickens were among the names listed, while Keaton Mitchell and Brenen Thompson were already known to be working through injuries. It is early, but the opening report still offers a useful snapshot of where Los Angeles stands as it begins preparing for Arizona.
The bigger concern for the Chargers may be the secondary, where the departure of Benjamin St. Juste has left the cornerback depth chart looking thinner than ideal. Behind the top three corners, the options are limited, which makes every practice report feel a little more important than usual. Even before the opener kicks off, the Chargers already have a small but familiar Week 1 problem on their hands. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Fans Just Watched A Local TV Shot Backfire Fast
A new mural in Torrance gave Chargers fans another reason to feel good about their team and their city. Los Angeles artist Robert Vargas unveiled the twelve-story piece, titled The Storm is Coming, with Justin Herbert and Derwin James Jr. front and center, turning the project into both a tribute to the Chargers and a piece of local pride that fits the franchises Southern California identity.
KTLA briefly turned that scene into something else when it published and aired critical coverage tied to the mural unveiling, only to pull the article back almost as quickly. The on-air criticism was later dismissed by an anchor, leaving the episode more memorable for how fast it unraveled than for the point it seemed to be making in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Just Settled A Key Justin Herbert Protection Question
The Chargers have settled at least one important part of Justin Herberts protection plan heading into Week 1, naming veteran offensive lineman Kayode Awosika as their starting left guard. Awosika won the job after working through the offseason competition, and his background with the Detroit Lions gives Los Angeles a lineman who has already seen time at both left guard and tackle.
Jim Harbaugh confirmed the decision, but the larger picture up front still looks fluid. Even with Awosika set to open the season in the spot, the Chargers may continue to mix and match different offensive line combinations as they settle on the best five to keep Herbert upright. [Read more 🡒]