Mike McDaniel’s offense is built to stress defenses in all the right ways, and Justin Herbert just gave a reminder of why that marriage in Los Angeles has people buzzing.
In the Chargers’ final preseason game, Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston on a deep touchdown after a play-action fake. It was the kind of snap that makes a coordinator look brilliant and a quarterback look even better. McDaniel dialed it up, Herbert delivered it, and the ball ended up in the end zone.
The throw itself is what stands out. According to Dante Koplowitz-Fleming, Herbert’s touchdown pass traveled 48 yards in the air, which is longer than any pass thrown by a quarterback under McDaniel in Miami or in San Francisco, where McDaniel began as offensive coordinator.
That number says plenty about the difference between Herbert and the quarterbacks McDaniel has worked with before. Tua Tagovailoa, at his best, was an efficient distributor with sharp accuracy and solid processing from the pocket.
But his arm strength never matched the demands of a deep-passing attack, and he struggled to consistently push the ball downfield, even when he was relatively healthy. Jimmy Garoppolo had similar problems when McDaniel coached him in 2021 with the 49ers.
Herbert brings a different kind of tool set. He has the arm talent to make every throw an offense can ask for, which is exactly why this pairing has been so eagerly watched.
Of course, the bigger questions around Herbert haven’t disappeared. His consistency has been questioned more than once, and injuries have played a part in that, including offensive line problems that cut into his protection and injuries of his own. He still hasn’t shown he can carry a team on a deep postseason run.
Even so, the Chargers are betting that with one of the league’s best play-callers helping steer the offense, Herbert can finally take the next step and get Los Angeles into the postseason.
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The Colts have acknowledged the incident and say they are gathering more information, but the situation already hangs over what had been a straightforward offseason addition. For a team that brought Allen in to add proven production and stability, the next steps are now about far more than football. [Read more 🡒]
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Even with Smith out of the picture, the expectation is that Los Angeles will carry six cornerbacks to open the season, which says plenty about how much competition there was in camp. For a team trying to balance talent, depth and roster limits, it was the kind of final-cut call that can reshape the back end of the defense without much warning, and it leaves the Chargers with a secondary that looks deeper, but also a little more unsettled than before. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Just Settled A Crucial Decision Behind Justin Herbert
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DJ Uiagalelei is the odd man out for now and will be waived, though there is still a chance he returns on the practice squad. For the Chargers, the move settles one of the quieter but most important decisions of the offseason, giving the staff a defined backup while leaving a door open on a developmental quarterback they may still want around. [Read more 🡒]