Justin Herbert has a new play-caller, and at least one national analyst thinks that alone could push him into the MVP race. Dan Orlovsky, appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, said the pairing of Herbert and new Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has him more intrigued than any other quarterback-coach combination heading into the 2026 season.
The excitement isn’t limited to Orlovsky’s corner of the internet. Chargers fans have been fired up since McDaniel took over play-calling duties, and Herbert himself has drawn notice for throws that even left McDaniel stunned during camp.
Orlovsky breaks down why Herbert fits McDaniel’s system
McDaniel spent four seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, where he built an offense around Tua Tagovailoa’s timing and anticipation rather than pure arm strength. Herbert is a different kind of quarterback physically, and Orlovsky says that contrast is exactly what makes this pairing worth watching.
“These quarterbacks that aren’t the physically dominant specimen that Justin Herbert is, and now you have this coach that has had to kind of build the offense around that style of player with a quarterback that is made out of a lab, and he is six-foot-six; he is 240 pounds. He has an absolute cannon for an arm, and he’s a freak athlete,” Orlovsky said.
Herbert is 6-foot-6, 236 pounds, with one of the strongest arms in the league. McDaniel has never worked with a passer built like that. Orlovsky’s point: McDaniel now gets to keep his scheme’s structure while adding a weapon he’s never had access to before.
The “compromise” Orlovsky says the offense needs
Orlovsky didn’t stop at praise. He argued that the offense’s ceiling depends on Herbert and McDaniel meeting in the middle. McDaniel’s system leans on touch and layered throws — passes placed with timing and precision rather than velocity — and Orlovsky says Herbert will need to adapt some of his more fastball-heavy tendencies to that style.
“I think if both of those guys can really get to a little bit of a compromise, but really high level of understanding of, the quarterback’s great at this stuff, let’s build all of our stuff like that, and then this play caller really needs this out of me. I think this could be one of the better offenses in the league, and the quarterback could be absolutely in the MVP conversation,” Orlovsky said.
Orlovsky isn’t alone in that read. He’s also told ESPN and the Pat McAfee Show separately that he’d be “shocked” if Herbert isn’t a top-five MVP candidate by Thanksgiving, and that he expects the Chargers’ offensive line, tight end room and backfield depth to make this a top-five unit if the line stays healthy.
What’s confirmed and what’s still projection
McDaniel’s hire as Chargers offensive coordinator is confirmed — he joined Jim Harbaugh’s staff after four seasons as Miami’s head coach. Herbert’s physical measurements, his contract status as the Chargers’ starter, and the Week 1 matchup are all matters of record. The MVP talk, though, is analyst projection, not a stated team goal or league designation. No one in the Chargers organization has framed the season around an MVP push publicly.
The offense will get its first real test in Week 1. Los Angeles opens the 2026 season at home against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 13, marking the first look at McDaniel’s play-calling in a game that counts.
