It’s not just the Chargers fan base that is starting to freak out about Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense.
ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano get together to discuss the latest around the NFL and part of it is discussing the panic meter for some underperforming quarterbacks. Of course, Justin Herbert is among that small group that includes Cam Ward and Drake Maye.
With more picks than touchdowns passed through three games, Herbert was too easy a pick to even talk about.
“Skip to Herbert, his play is inexplicably bad, but he’s in Year 7 with 98 career starts, most of which have been played at a high level,” Fowler said. “He has more proof of concept than Maye or Ward. The jumbled offense under offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel hasn’t helped. And I’m not sure where they go next.”
Graziano’s opinion unfortunately doesn’t differ much from Fowler’s.
“Yes. Talk about a disconnect between player and scheme. It all looks “tough and tiring” for Herbert, in the words of one evaluator I spoke with last week. There was a lot of talk in the offseason about how Herbert and his immense natural talent improved under McDaniel, but it clearly wasn’t clicking. But another wave of offensive line injuries occurred. Runs couldn’t go, receivers didn’t get those jumps. promised us, and Herbert looked confused and overwhelmed by whatever he was going to do there.”
“A lot of people have theories on what the Chargers need to do in terms of simplifying things so they can just start having success to build. But there’s also a concern that the personnel doesn’t fit what the offense is built to do, which might be hard to overcome.”
Despite all this, Fowler believes old Herbert is still out there somewhere.
“Look, Herbert is very good as a true pocket passer, whereas McDaniel thrives on having Tua Tagovailoa throw hopefully in spots. Either Herbert is struggling to do both or McDaniel isn’t putting him in a position to show that he can. I still think Herbert has good football in him, but that’s a harder sell about a week one mismatch.
And now for today’s links.
Where did the Chargers fall in the power rankings this week? (Chargers.com)
Justin Herbert leads NFL in passing yards lost on drops (Chargers Wire)
Predicting the first NFL head coach to be fired during the 2026 season (CBS Sports)
Giants have no plans to sign Odell Beckham Jr. on their practice squad (Pro Football Talk)