The Los Angeles Chargers hired Mike McDaniel as their offensive coordinator in the offseason. At the time, this was seen as a home run hire. McDaniel was thought of as a brilliant offensive mind, and Justin Herbert’s body of work suggested there was no way to go but up.
Unfortunately, things have not worked out in Los Angeles. The Chargers are 0-6 heading into their bye week in Week 7. Questions about McDaniel’s future with the team are already being asked. Everything that could go wrong seemingly has.
Criticism of McDaniel has been loud and swift, with Chris Broussard the latest to weigh in with some stinging jabs at the former Miami Dolphins head coach.
Broussard Rips Mike McDaniel Over Justin Herbert’s Regression
FOX Sports analyst Chris Broussard appeared on an episode of “First Things First” on Thursday and talked about the issues with the Chargers. Broussard did not waste his chance to go after McDaniel.
“Mike McDaniel, there’s no defending what he’s done. We all believe Justin Herbert has been overrated. However, he is a good QB without question… He’s turned a very good QB into the worst QB in the league. So there’s no defending it,” the FOX Sports analyst said.
That said, despite the criticism, Broussard is not in favor of firing McDaniel midseason. With the season already lost, allowing the former head coach the chance to see if there is something there causes no real harm.
“My stance over the last few weeks has been to let McDaniel coach the rest of the year and see if they can click at some point. This year’s lost, but maybe they’ll take off. If it doesn’t, I’m thinking you get rid of McDaniel. But I would give him the rest of the year to see if it works,” Broussard said.
SET YOUR LINEUPS:PFN’s Free Fantasy Start/Sit Optimizer
McDaniel has a track record of coaching high-powered offenses. He was the head coach of the Dolphins from 2022 to 2025, and Miami had some dynamic offenses during that time, with Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, and De’Von Achane creating havoc for opposing defenses.
Prior to this, he served as the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2021. That season, they had the seventh-most yards per game in the league. San Francisco made the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM:PFN’s Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator
As Broussard pointed out, Herbert has struggled mightily this season. He has thrown five touchdowns to eight interceptions in six games. The Chargers signal-caller has thrown more interceptions than any quarterback in the NFL to this point. His 61.0 PFN QB Impact Grade ranks at the very bottom of the league.
Los Angeles is now staring down the barrel of a complete nightmare. The offensive woes are at the forefront of this reality.
Los Angeles is on its bye week, so there is a chance to hit reset and course-correct. McDaniel has time to sit down and dissect the issues that plague the offense. We’ll find out if anything’s changed when they take on the Rams when they’re back in Week 8.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.