It’s a curious case with Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. McDaniel faced criticism when he was the Miami Dolphins‘ head coach, but he still managed to put together a strong 2023 season, when the team ranked second in scoring and first in passing yards.
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In LA, however, things are far from good, as the Chargers currently sit at 0-5, quarterback Justin Herbert’s regression is evident, and the offense has been outright disappointing. Evidently, calls to fire McDaniel are growing louder. While it’s too early to predict whether the Chargers will fire him midseason, ESPN recently reported that a decision on the offensive coordinator’s future may come soon.
Per NFL reporter Evan Sidery, McDaniel could be fired as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator if the team’s offense fails to improve in the upcoming weeks. At the same time, Sidery reported that if the team parts ways with McDaniel, Adam Gase could step in as the interim offensive coordinator.
The development around McDaniel’s future gained momentum after the Chargers’ offense dropped near the bottom of the league in rankings after the first five weeks of the season. The unit currently ranks 30th in the league, scoring 16.8 points per game and 30th in passing offense, recording 823 passing yards.
The bigger concern is that the offense hasn’t shown sustained improvement. Los Angeles scored 14 points against Arizona, 14 against Las Vegas, 16 against Buffalo, 23 against Seattle, and 17 against Denver. The Seattle game was the only time in that stretch the Chargers reached 20 points, and they still lost.
At the same time, Justin Herbert’s early-season numbers were below his established standards. When Mike McDaniel was hired as the offensive coordinator, Herbert and his offense were expected to be energetic. But things have gone downhill.
After the first three games, NFL.com’s analysis of TruMedia and Next Gen Stats found that Herbert was struggling on both deep passes and quick throws, two areas McDaniel’s system was supposed to help him improve.
In the first three games, Herbert had a 59% completion rate, a career low at that stage in the season. He had four receptions, which was also a career low for that span. At the same time, he ranked 32nd in expected points added (EPA) on throws of 20-plus air yards, at minus-14, and ranked 27th in EPA on quick throws released in under 2.5 seconds.
Meanwhile, the analysis after the first three games also found that Herbert had attempted only 50% of his passes within 2.5 seconds through the first three games. Under McDaniel in Miami, Tua Tagovailoa regularly threw that quickly on around 60% of his attempts, reaching 66.4% in 2023. Herbert’s quick-throw rate was also similar to his 48.2% figure from the previous season under Greg Roman.
After five weeks, Herbert has completed 59.4% of his passes for 937 passing yards and has more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (5). For comparison, through the first five weeks of 2025, he had completed 65.7% of his passes for 1,229 yards, 8 TDs, and 4 INTs.
The Week 5 game against the Denver Broncos drew immense criticism for the Chargers’ offense. The Chargers lost 23-17, as Justin Herbert completed 14-of-24 passes for 121 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
The fourth quarter, meanwhile, was the most damaging part of the performance. Los Angeles had five offensive possessions in the period. But they produced a punt, a turnover on downs after Herbert was stopped, a Herbert fumble, an interception, and a game-ending sack. Those drives combined for just 19 net yards on 19 plays and two first downs.
This is exactly why the criticism around Mike McDaniel and the calls to fire him are evident. Four-time Pro Bowler Richie Incognito noted that Harbaugh must fire McDaniel to save his job.
“It is going to be a complete overhaul soon for these Los Angeles Chargers,” said Incognito. “Joe Hortiz, the GM’s got to go. Jim Harbaugh’s got to go. If he does not get rid of Mike McDaniel in the next couple weeks, it’s going to cost Jim Harbaugh his job.”
After the Week 4 loss to Seattle, McDaniel acknowledged the mounting criticism.
“When you have high expectations, and you’re getting the results we’re getting, and you’re 0-4, that’s pretty standard operating procedure. I would be foolish, or I would feel entitled, if I didn’t expect there to be disappointment.
“And so, if you want things to change and you want narratives to change, you have to change them through action collectively. If our results are better, that’s the only thing that matters. So it’s pretty easy for me to focus on what I need to focus on.”
For now, it remains to be seen whether the Chargers will pull the plug on McDaniel. But if they do, we’ll see whether the team’s offense will improve in the coming weeks.