Chargers' Justin Herbert Warned He's Facing 'Inflection Point' for His Career

It’s hard to ignore some of the hype around Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert this offseason.

And no, this doesn’t have anything to do with him coming out of his usually conservative shell in the public eye, to the point of appearing in a music video with a pop star. (It doesn’t hurt either, though.)

This is, as it should be, about the on-field stuff. Herbert is about to hit training camp with an upgraded offensive line after a complete revamp of the interior, headed up by big free-agent signing Tyler Biadasz at center.

Far more hype-worthy, though, is the addition of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, a dramatic shift away from Jim Harbaugh’s Greg Roman-like ways. The expectation is that Herbert can unlock new heights to his game and take the Chargers right along with him.

That hype, though, also has a way of creating warnings.

NFL QB rankings dish Justin Herbert a warning

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert — Justin Herbert | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Herbert, in theory, might only get one chance with McDaniel. If all goes well or even comes close to matching expectations, the coordinator with head coaching experience could be off to take over another team in a hurry after just one season.

That’s why Chargers fans were happy to see that Herbert was already listening to McDaniel in minicamps and changing up his footwork and throwing form in certain formations.

Now is the time and it’s a theme seen everywhere. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler talked with NFL executives and coaches to rank the quarterbacks this offseason and there was commentary from places that Herbert still has some growing to do during “an inflection point” for his career.

"He plays young," one NFL coordinator said. "He's incredibly talented and has made progress, but he doesn't have the maturity level of the other guys as far as how he runs the overall operation and mastery of the position."

It would seem McDaniel agrees at least a little bit, given he already has Herbert changing up his throwing motion. That’s all in the name of helping the quarterback improve, take fewer hits and stay healthy, of course.

For his part, Herbert appears to be embracing the change just fine. There’s no disputing that he’s a top-10 player at his position. But when an offensive mind like McDaniel arrives and says he needs to change some things up in order to keep on climbing, it’s hard to take issue with others saying similar, even if they’re doing it anonymously.

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