NFL execs believe Justin Herbert looks confused and overwhelmed in new offense
Three games.Three losses.
Everything is spiraling downward for the Los Angeles Chargers.Particularly due to the regression of what was supposed to be a revamped offense.ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano wrote in his NFL Week 4 intel, alongside Jeremy Fowler, that an anonymous NFL evaluator told him quarterback Justin Herbert looks lost on the field.“Everything looks ‘difficult and exhausting,” Graziano wrote.The columnist went on to state that over the offseason, Herbert was expected to thrive after the team acquired new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
But “it’s clearly not clicking.”A four-year stint as the head coach of the Dolphins, McDaniel was once the perceived mastermind behind a Miami offense that finished sixth in the NFL in 2023.But during his final two seasons, the offense’s production rapidly declined, finishing 19th in 2024 and 26th in 2025.For Herbert, the new McDaniel scheme is infamous for quarterbacks having to react quickly and rely on having a quick release.Herbert has spent most of his career throwing the ball deep and relying on play action.This year, he’s struggled immensely under center, completing 59.1% of his passes for 627 yards, with three touchdowns, and four interceptions.The Chargers offense had every opportunity to run away with a victory in Sunday’s 24-16 loss to the Bills.
A game where the defense forced five turnovers.Los Angeles nearly matched Buffalo in every offensive statistical category in the Week 3 matchup, but it was their struggles in the red zone and inability to get the running game going that cost them.“The run game can’t get going, the receivers haven’t taken the jumps we were promised, and Herbert has looked confused and overwhelmed by whatever it is he’s being asked to do out there,” Graziano wrote.It wasn’t a vintage performance like we’ve grown accustomed to seeing of Herbert.He completed 17 of 27 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
But still, it was eno...