Chargers Training Camp Takeaways: Justin Herbert Is Thriving Under McDaniel

All right, we are here in El Segundo, California, close to LAX.

6th stop of my training camp trip.

You guys can see the Chargers facility behind me.

We got 5 takeaways from the LA Chargers training camp.

Takeaway number 1, the excitement over Justin Herbert's fit in Mike McDaniel's offense is palpable.

McDaniel's never had a quarterback like this who has the ability to make you defend every blade of grass on the field with.

Arm and then manipulate everything in between with his mind and they really feel like Herbert hasn't played an offense like this.

It's going to set him up the way that this offense will just with McDaniel's run game and the sort of conflicts he's able to create and now Herbert will be able to take advantage of.

So I've said it before, I think he's a dark horse MVP candidate.

Take away number 2.

The story of the Chargers 2025 season was how they survived the offensive line injuries and they were able to win 11 games.

And the main reason why that was such a big deal is that's where Jim Harbaugh and Joe Ortiz over the last three years have have laid the foundation of their program.

So getting Joe Ault.

And Rashaw Slater back at the toddle the tackle positions is obviously huge.

Uh, Cole Strange comes over from Miami with McDaniel.

Tyler Biaish, uh, they believe is probably their best offseason acquisition.

Intelligence, athleticism added at the center position, and then left guard is the big position battle across the offense with Coyote Awashi.

Trevor Penning, the former first round pick, and rookie Jake Slaughter competing for snaps.

Take away number 3, if there's an area where they brought guys in from the outside and improved the most, it's probably tight end, where they got David Njoku to play the F tight end position coming over from Cleveland, and Charlie Kar is one of the best blocking tight ends in football to play that inline wide position.

Jim Harbaugh's best teams have always been really good at the tight end position, and now the Chargers are.

Take away number 4, the team has progressively gotten bigger over the last few years on the defensive front.

That of course is part of Harbaugh's vision.

And adding Dalvin Thompson, um, in the middle of the defense, adding Akeem Mezador, who's very physical to the edge, only bolsters that is a, this is a big football team in general.

They're very big on the defensive front.

Finally, take away number 5.

O'Leary was the secondary coach 2 years ago here, went to Western Michigan to call it for a year.

Now he's back here.

And that's great news for the guys in the secondary and in particular third year corner Tarheeb Still, who had 4 picks for for O'Leary in 2024.

He's playing confident, he's taking ownership of the defensive system that he's playing in now, and he looks like he's ready to take a really big leap in year 3.

And one other note on that, there was no bigger fan of the O'Leary hire than.

Derwin James, who is the one superstar the team has in a very balanced defense, and so I think there are a lot of people excited here just as they are about McDaniel on, on, on offense over what Chris O'Leary is going to be able to do on the defensive side of the ball, and he of course is filling some very big shoes with Jesse Minor off to Baltimore.

Appreciate you guys coming out.

We'll see you tomorrow from Las Vegas.