Mike McDaniel could turn the Chargers into an AFC powerhouse

Mike McDaniel made a move this week that we rarely see in NFL coaching circles: Understanding his limitations. The former head coach of the Miami Dolphins informed teams, most notably the Browns, that he was withdrawing his name from any head coaching considerations, which were shortly followed by reports that he is going to accept a position as offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers.

It’s a step backwards career wise, but also the best decision McDaniel could have ever made. Instead of ramming his head into a new brick wall trying to change the fortunes of a franchise from the top, McDaniel now gets to be a piece of the puzzle. It’s a role that suits him far better for this point in his life and coaching career, with the added benefit of being a key reason the landscape of the AFC will change in 2026 and beyond.

In order to understand why McDaniel to the Chargers is so exciting, we have to go back.

McDaniel’s offensive brilliance is well chronicled. Rising to stardom with the 49ers, it speaks volumes to how highly he was regarded in San Francisco that Kyle Shanahan turned over play calling duties to McDaniel in the 2021 season — something he hadn’t done before as a head coach, and didn’t do again until Klint Kubiak this past season (who is up for head coaching jobs himself now). Getting the Shanny nod of approval as an OC is one of the greatest compliments a coach can get, and McDaniel did this through an unnatural understanding of the run game.

A lot is made of McDaniel’s passing concepts, but it’s always been the run that’s the heart of his offensive sensibilities. Where some coaches use the run to open the pass, McDaniel does the inverse — melding West Coast quick passing and YAC to spread linebackers into the flat, only to attack up the middle with the run game. This is what made the 2023 Dolphins so terrifying, because defenses had no effective way to cover Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the perimeters, while also accounting for Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane up the middle.

The post mortem of the Dolphins shows a lot of failures, but at the heart was Tua Tagovailoa becoming unreliable, Tyreek Hill being sidelined with injuries, and the Dolphins losing their two-headed monster running back system due to Mostert aging out, forcing them to lean far too much on Achane — which resulted in too much predictability on the ground. Notably none of these failures are a direct result of McDaniel. This wasn’t his roster, but one he inherited and did his best with.

That’s not to say that McDaniel wasn’t a core piece of the problem too. What Miami built was an incredible group of talented individuals, but they never felt like a team. It’s a head coach’s job to pull all these disparate pieces together, but it became apparent that the coach never had the mentality to command a room, especially during periods of adversity. The quest to be “one of the guys” as a coach is a profoundly difficult tightrope to walk, and one that’s impossible if you’re not an ex-player like Dan Campbell or Mike Vrabel. Unfortunately McDaniel learned this the hard way.

Let’s transpose everything we know about McDaniel over to the Chargers now.

In taking this job it mitigates McDaniel’s biggest weakness. There are few coaches in the NFL with the gravitas of Jim Harbaugh when it comes to leading an organization. A history of success as both an NFL and CFB coach has earned him a lot of respect to handle the team, and being a former player is the cherry on top. This means that McDaniel can stay in his lane and develop the offense.

Here’s where it really gets fun. We can essentially look at the best elements of the 49ers and Dolphins offense under McDaniel and see how perfectly it fits with the Chargers’ personnel. The offense he runs doesn’t require the quarterback to make pinpoint touch passes or thread the needle in coverage, but rather be decisive, and quick to release the ball. This is a scenario where Justin Herbert thrives.

One of the biggest mistakes of Greg Roman as a failed offensive coordinator was lengthening out the Chargers’ routes, without having the personnel to do it effectively. This saw Herbert’s Average Depth of Target (ADoT) swell to well over 8.5 yards, which kept him in the pocket far too long. McDaniel will condense those routes back more, and ask the receivers to use their shiftiness after the catch to get gains, rather than separation. Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnson can both do this incredibly well.

Then there’s the running back position, which is so perfect for McDaniel that it hurts. The Chargers’ top pick in 2025 Omarion Hampton is poised to become an absolute monster inside his offense. A lot has been made about how Hampton didn’t live up to expectations as a rookie, but much of that was due to injuries on the offensive line and a terrible offensive coordinator in Roman. Despite this he still managed to finish his rookie season with over 700 all-purpose yards in just nine games. Both Hampton and Kimani Vidal have speed for days, and can easily become a new version of the Mostert/Achane backfield.

Essentially all the pieces are in place, and this was already a team that went 11-6 with critical injuries to a wide array of key players, most notably Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, who will return to solidify the offensive line as one of the leagues’s best in 2026.

Its not difficult to read the tea leaves on this one. There is a rocket ship being prepared for launch in Los Angeles, with Mike McDaniel being the pilot to Harbaugh’s captain. Give him a few years under the coach’s tutelage and he could be ready to return to head coaching, but for now he enters an AFC West that’s in flux, and ripe for the taking. We might not be talking simply about Los Angeles challenging for best in the west, but potentially best in the entire AFC with this new partnership.

Yes, hiring Mike McDaniel really is that good for the Chargers.