Should the Los Angeles Chargers Fire Mike McDaniel?

The Los Angeles Chargers were within striking range of winning a Super Bowl during the 2026 NFL season, at least according to many media personalities and outlets. This hype for the Bolts majorly stemmed from the fact that Justin Herbert, one of the league's best quarterbacks, is now finally paired with an offensive coordinator who can elevate him, rather than weigh him down.

That offensive coordinator was Mike McDaniel, the former 49ers offensive coordinator and former Miami Dolphins head coach. After being fired in Miami for reasons other than his offense, it made perfect sense for all sides to have McDaniel come in for a year and revitalize his name and abilities as an NFL coach. The Chargers in their Super Bowl window (at least, as thought by the fanbase and front office) will have a one-year rental of one of the league's premier play callers.

Instead, the Chargers are now 0-4 with the fourth-worst offense in the entire NFL (by points per game; stats courtesy of teamrankings.com). They are behind the likes of the New York Giants, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, etc. McDaniel seems aware of these shortcomings, yet he still finds himself here.

Stats Don't Lie

Beyond points per game, McDaniel's Chargers rank 22nd in passing yards, 25th in passing touchdowns, T-2nd in turnovers given, 21st in yards per game, T-21st in third-down conversion rate and sixth-worst QB sack percentage. McDaniel's run game fares slightly better with the ninth-best rushing yards per game ranking.

Beyond the rankings and statistics, some of the anecdotal things seen from the viewpoint of fans could give reason for the seat to get even warmer for the former Dolphins head coach.

1. Predictability: McDaniel often gives tells about where a run play is going by personnel. If Omarion Hampton is in, it's going inside the tackles. If Keaton Mitchell is in, it is going outside. While it is not 100% this way, it is noticeable enough for defenses to constantly make plays in the backfield against a team with an already struggling offensive line.

2. Outside runs to the short side of the field: At least to my knowledge, it is extremely important to know where the ball is placed on the field, whether it is the hashes or the middle section of the field. This allows you to either open up plays or remove plays that you can call, depending on where the ball is. McDaniel often runs plays that need more room (like tosses or sweeps) to the short side of the field, yielding less ability for the ball carrier to have space to make plays.

3. Simply being "too cute": As much as I would like to be complimented on McDaniel's appearance in this section, this is about his poor play calling and his job security with the Chargers. McDaniel has run 68.4% of plays in motion, only behind the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers (stat courtesy of SharpFootballAnalysis), both of which were previous teams that McDaniel coached for. While pre-snap motion can cause conflict for defenses, it can also allow for the offense to make more mistakes and find zero rhythm, with the team constantly having to wait or time up motions correctly for them to work effectively. The Chargers as a team rank fourth-worst in penalties, with the majority of the issues stemming from the offense.

The Verdict

Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel — Mike McDaniel | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So, with the Chargers losing and not scoring nearly enough points, what is the verdict? The truth is that the verdict is already out, and McDaniel will not be fired, even with his very poor first month in Los Angeles.

Jim Harbaugh was asked after the Seattle Seahawks' loss if McDaniel's job was on the line. He responded with: "No, his job is not in jeopardy. He's a skilled coach and we're going to keep growing."

This essentially ends the debate over what will happen. However, the debate over what should happen should continue until the "mastermind" proves himself to be such in the 2026 NFL season.

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