No More Boring Offense: Mike McDaniel’s Plan to Create NFL's Next YAC Kings in LA

Outside zone and pre-snap motions all lead to one place: YAC opportunities and a more explosive offense.

May 11, 2026; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers receivers Quentin Johnston (1) and Tre Harris (9) during offseason workouts at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers are going through massive offensive changes. The obvious changes in offensive scheme from Greg Roman to Mike McDaniel have been commonly discussed in terms of the run game, switching from gap-heavy to wide zone. The Chargers have not kept the plan a secret.

A bigger change seems to be coming in terms of the passing game. The Chargers for years, have operated with bigger receivers, contested catches and tight window throws. Mike McDaniel appears to be preparing the Chargers wide receiver room for a new style of passing attack.

Quarterback Justin Herbert detailed some of the changes, along with the changes to his footwork, in his first appearance in front of the media this off-season. Herbert described the transition to no longer waiting for a receiver to get open, but rather throwing to a spot. The receivers have been warned to turn and look for the ball immediately or prepare to get hit in the face with a pass.

The idea behind this passing attack shift is to attack opposing defenses and to find answers againt the tougher defenses of the NFL. Looking back to the Chargers playoff loss to both the Patriots and Texans, the Chargers defense fought valiantly to keep the games close but the offense failed to find answers.

The biggest expected changes will be in the opportunities Los Angeles' weapons will have for yards after the catch, commonly referred to as YAC. The more YAC opportunities should lead to more explosive plays in the passing game and in turn lead to a more efficient offense, leading to increased drive success.

Who will be the next YAC Kings and why it matters

Dec 21, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (15) runs for yards after the catch against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Justin Herbert has lived and died by standing in the pocket and rifling in passes through tight windows. Pairing Justin Herbert with easy concepts designed to create YAC opportunities will be a new wrinkle for his game.

Herbert had a record-breaking rookie of the year campaign in 2020. The Chargers wide receiver room netted only 867 yards after the catch despite Justin Herbert passing for 4,336 yards and not playing the first game of the season. By comparison, in 2021 under Mike McDaniel, Deebo Samuel had 937 yards after the catch by himself and the entire 49ers wide receiver room had 1,532 YAC. The most YAC any Chargers offense has had with Justin Herbert is 1,123 in 2024.

The trend continued for Mike McDaniel in Miami with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. The concept of additional YAC opportunities leading to more explosive plays is clear. The Dolphins in 2025 under McDaniel, despite all the injuries they faced still had a higher explosive play rate than the playoff-bound Chargers, 6.2 percent versus versus 5.4 percent.

Ladd McConkey has been the Chargers' top wide receiver in terms of YAC the past two seasons but even still, he finished his rookie campaign with his career high of 477 YAC. That total should be easily surpassed in the Chargers 2026 offense.

Quentin Johnston figures to be the main challenger to the YAC king throne in the new Mike McDaniel-led Chargers offense. As at Senior at TCU, Johnston excelled in YAC opportunities and YAC counted for near exactly 50 percent of his total yards. The Chargers forced Johnston into a role he wasn't used to early in his career out of necessity due to injuries but should thrive in the new offense.

The Chargers recently released a Mike McDaniel mic'd up from OTAs and in the video, you can clearly hear he has a plan and a large role for Johnston. Second-year wide receiver Tre' Harris is not to be forgotten either. Harris has been seen being coached up by McDaniel and figures to land a prominent role in YAC opportunities to highlight his strength and athleticism. Harris has been featured as a receiver utilized in pre-snap motions often.

Utilizing pre-snap motions and the wide zone run offense should open space for the receivers to work with the ball. Will any of the Chargers weapons hit Deebo Samuel like YAC numbers? It is possible.

No matter which wide receiver emerges from the Chargers offense as the top YAC receiver, the expectation is clear, Mike McDaniel is going to design an offense to allow all of them to be YAC Kings. The additional YAC opportunities for the Chargers weapons should lead to more explosive plays, a more efficient offense and a dangerous offense even when faced with top defenses including the playoffs.