The Rest of the NFL Should Be Terrified of How Fast Chargers' Offense Clicked

The Los Angeles Chargers hit the field for their second practice of training camp heading into the 2026 season. The new-look offense, even without Mike McDaniel who missed the practice to attend a funeral, looked fast and on time and the Chargers' opponents should be on notice.

The first few days of training camp are always a simple extension of OTAs. Before the pads come on next week on August fourth, it is usually meaningless to judge how the players are playing against air or an opponent giving little physical resistance. However, there are several major clues to how the offense is operating and will look going forward, let's dive in the what has been seen over the first two days of camp.

Throwing to running backs? Is that legal?

The past few years of the Chargers offense made the days of Austin Ekeler racking up a near-1,000-yard receiving season in 2019 seem like an ancient memory. So far, Justin Herbert has not been shy about throwing to running backs who are running actual routes, not just simple checkdowns. It seems as if Mike McDaniel has made that old seemingly boring Chargers offense into a fading memory with how fast the offense is operating.

airing it out pic.twitter.com/HX91HXR9D7
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 30, 2026

Keaton Mitchell was one of two players new offensive coordinator specifically made wanted posters for as a method to ask general manager Joe Hortiz to try to sign them in free agency. Mitchell is fast but he is also a good receiver and fits the receiving part of Mike McDaniel's offense and that segment of the offense appears to be taking flight early

Receivers everywhere

Justin Herbert has been razor sharp his first two days of camp. Herbert is generally a very accurate quarterback but what stands out is the level at which he is throwing the ball around to different receivers, different levels of the field and with different dropbacks. This is a new offense, with new tight ends, running backs and a rookie receiver added to the mix. To be this in sync fresh out of the gates is a big sign for things to come.

Justin Herbert finding his new pal Brenen Thompson again today.

(📷: @FantasyAlarm ) pic.twitter.com/iJT6RxUFyw
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) July 30, 2026

The defense is usually ahead of the offense

Typically for an NFL team switching schemes, the defense will have a leg up on the offense early in camp as the offense searches to find the rhythm and timing of the offense with each other. Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense seems to be firing on all cylinders immediately.

Herbert having already developed trust and timing with new weapons in a new offense is a major positive for the Chargers offense and the expectations that surround that side of the ball. Obviously, practice in shorts and helmets is a far cry from full contact perfection, but it is a very positive sign for Los Angeles and the rest of the NFL should be on high alert.

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