Chargers Might Lean on Mike McDaniel's Dolphins Days to Protect Justin Herbert

The Chargers have a blueprint they can look to...thanks to the Dolphins.

Mike McDaniel | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers have spent all offseason talking about making life easier on franchise quarterback Justin Herbert. 

That included Jim Harbaugh at this week’s NFL meetings and long before that. And it especially included new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. 

In the minds of many Chargers fans, it was a long-overdue priority for the franchise to identify and figure out. Herbert is, for better and worse, one of the best “hero ball” quarterbacks in the NFL when things get off-script 

Things really took a turn for the worse last year, though. Herbert ran more than ever last year while the scheme seemed to do very little to help him and, as expected, his body eventually started breaking down. 

The question is…how do the Chargers actually accomplish this?

Chargers, McDaniel could channel Dolphins to help Justin Herbert

Justin Herbert | David Butler II-Imagn Images

It can’t be as simple as just upgrading the offensive line in front of Herbert, right?

The Chargers have done that with center Tyler Biadasz and potentially at guard with a few different signings so far. Shifting from Greg Roman to McDaniel helps, too. 

Much of it will hinge on McDaniel, though. And The Athletic’s Daniel Popper recently went in-depth on how his past in Miami could give a hint of the future in Los Angeles: 

“In 2023, former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played 17 games for McDaniel. That season, according to TruMedia, Tagovailoa had 336 true dropbacks — meaning dropbacks with no play action or screen. That came out to under 20 true dropbacks per game. In 2025, Herbert had 418 such dropbacks in 16 games. That came out to over 26 true dropbacks per game. In theory, Herbert and the Chargers offensive line will be in true dropback protection about seven fewer times per game in this new system.”

It might not sound like much, but it adds up over the course of 17 games. Tack on an improved offensive line and what should be a better ground game propping things up certainly helps, too. 

While the national lens tends to focus on just how explosive McDaniel and Herbert could be together, it would be hard to blame Chargers fans if they were more excited about this type of stuff.

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