Justin Herbert is starting fresh with new-look

Justin Herbert is starting from the ground up in Mike McDaniel’s new-look Chargers offense.

The 28-year-old quarterback has devoted a lot of the offseason to tweaking his footwork — placing his left foot in entrance of his proper from the shotgun, against conventional NFL kind — to match Los Angeles’ new offensive coordinator’s scheme.

McDaniel prioritizes getting the ball to playmakers in space as effectively as attainable, as he did for 4 seasons as the Miami Dolphins head coach with speedy wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and envisions Herbert’s flip in footing accelerating and syncing the timing of passes with receivers’ route breaks.

“If guys train it so that they don’t have to think about it and they can be comfortable, you can do a couple things that put the defense in a bind with how you do your footwork,” McDaniel said at Chargers minicamp in El Segundo. “I don’t mandate it. With Justin, I really just showed him where I thought it would be advantageous, and he didn’t blink for a second and was excited to attack it.”

“The patternization in Mike McDaniel’s system has required some footwork changes,” added head coach Jim Harbaugh. “[Herbert’s] been working very hard, very hard at those. And as you would expect, Justin has picked it up.”

McDaniel said he acquired the concept as an up-and-comer on staffs in Houston and Washington alongside current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and pointed to Matt Ryan and Tua Tagovailoa as latest quarterbacks with whom he has applied the stance change and reaped optimistic outcomes.

Herbert, who has been one of those conventional right-handed quarterbacks to have their proper foot ahead from the shotgun, has embraced his new coordinator’s methodology.

“It’s about playing the way that [McDaniel] sees the quarterback position being played,” Herbert said, “and talking about how we can get the ball to the receivers in a position where they can run with it and allow them to do the things that they’re so good at: making plays.”

To speed up his adaptation, Herbert has thrown less in apply periods and achieved loads of drills without a soccer — two markers that are merely in contrast to the seven-season veteran, who is recognized to sling the rock loads at apply and in video games.

McDaniel and Harbaugh added that, in addition to serving to Herbert modify his toes, preserving the ball out of their quarterback’s arms during the offseason will help him keep fresh later in the common season.

Herbert is on board, but made it clear he doesn’t require any upkeep.

“I’ve thrown a lot of footballs, and it’s May and June and I didn’t think it was as necessary to throw as much now,” Herbert said. “And do everything I can to get the footwork ready and get the offense down. The throws, they’ll be there. We’ve got plenty of time in camp and throughout [organized team activities] to get timing. I think it’s been smart by everyone, taking it easy.”

Herbert added that it’s better to focus on where his toes are now fairly than in a live, significant recreation. However, Harbaugh and McDaniel said Herbert is ramping up his throwing in apply with training camp looming.

The Chargers anticipate big issues out of McDaniel’s offense after they averaged a subpar 21.6 factors per recreation in 2025.

Harbaugh and McDaniel are hopeful for profession years from Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey and Tre’ Harris — precisely what the wideouts need to hear.

“As you all know … the timing, that’s a different aspect for us than we’re used to, but I think it’s great,” McConkey said. “It just gets the ball in the playmakers’ hands and lets us go to work.”

Before any desires of the Chargers profitable a Super Bowl on their home SoFi Stadium turf can come true next season, Herbert must merely get his footing, with his toes and new playbook.

“I’m sure you guys are eager to see him execute in a high regard in the stuff that we’re doing,” McDaniel said. “You got to be patient … that’s been part of the very calculated, very deliberate, intentional process that we take into the offseason.”