EL SEGUNDO — A lot has changed for Mike McDaniel since last summer.
He’s gone from hot and humid South Florida to ever-temperate Southern California.
He’s traded in his Aqua sweatshirts and pants for the same but in powder blue.
His starting quarterback throws with his right hand rather than his left.
But maybe most significantly, he’s an offensive coordinator for the first time since 2021, having been the Dolphins’ head coach the previous four seasons.
While a demotion on paper, McDaniel seems to see the role with the Chargers as a much-needed reset after missing the playoffs in back-to-back years following back-to-back first-round exits in Miami.
“Isolating on schematics a little more and focusing on 50% of the team, it gives you an opportunity to really iron some things out that maybe you wouldn’t have time for in the past,” McDaniel said Friday. “It’s important that I lead by example and attack whatever my role is. … It’s a different sort of challenge because it’s a new role and responsibility.”
McDaniel joins a Chargers franchise that hasn’t made it to the Divisional Round since 2018, instead losing three Wild Card games – the two most recent coming under coach Jim Harbaugh.
After four years with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, McDaniel now has Justin Herbert, who was selected one pick after Tagovailoa, as his quarterback.
“He (McDaniel) loves what he does,” Herbert said. “He loves football. He loves being here, and he loves his team. So it’s really cool to be a part of, and it makes everyone want to work harder for him. … We’re really fortunate to play for him.”
McDaniel’s primary goal for his signal caller is to improve his anticipation and get the ball out quicker.
Some may see this as ironic, considering Tagovailoa’s 15 interceptions in 2025 – the second most by any quarterback that season – or counter productive, since Herbert was just two spots down from the former Dolphin with 13 picks.
But the ultimate goal is to keep Herbert, who was sacked 54 times last season – third most in the NFL – upright.
“Guys with arm talent like he has – such a strong arm and great field vision – you want to protect the ball and you want to confirm something before you throw it,” McDaniel said. “I’m challenging him to expedite that process and not confirm and let his feet talk to him and rip the ball.”
Wide out Ladd McConkey added that McDaniel emphasized how getting the ball to receivers more quickly means more yards after catch.
Changes in speed are a theme. McDaniel said he needs his guys to quicken their pace from the huddle to the line so that they have more time for motions and shifts.
“His whole philosophy is speed and moving fast and stuff,” wide receiver Quenton Johnston said. “We’ve kind of been non-stop since we got here.”
Herbert and Harbaugh both called McDaniel the smartest person they know. It’s a sentiment shared by many, alongside the notion of just how unique McDaniel is.
“It’s interesting, it’s awesome,” tight end Charlie Kolar said. “I don’t know what he’s going to say most of the time. He has a lot of weird verbiage that comes out. I don’t know what he’s talking about. But the guy is a wizard.”
Edge rusher Khalil Mack added that McDaniel’s energy is hard to ignore – even on defense.
“I don’t know if it’s trash talk or reverse psychology, but it’s all funny,” Mack said. “You do something to mess up the play that they got going on and he’s (McDaniel) like, ‘Well, can’t run that anymore.’ … Just to see the personality on that side of the ball and have that energy on that side of the ball, it’s pretty dope.”
Kolar especially admired McDaniel’s experience and dedication to the run game, saying that a healthy ground attack makes the entire offense’s job easier.
Before becoming the 49ers offensive coordinator, McDaniel served as the team’s run game specialist in 2017 and run game coordinator the following three seasons.
“I was pleasantly shocked – not to take a shot – he’s not the biggest guy in the world,” Kolar said. “Usually, you see the run game guys. They’re big. They like food. He’s kind of the smaller guy. That guy is absolutely dialed in.”
Another consistency to McDaniel’s approach has been his desire to put himself in his player’s shoes – notably not opting for short sleeves or shorts in both Miami and Los Angeles.
“I try to bridge the gap,” McDaniel said. “I’m not running and sprinting every play, and guys that I’m coaching and asking them to do more are. So I can’t try to run as fast as them or as much as them, but I can put a sweatshirt on and feel good about calling them out on being soft because they think it’s too hot.”
But if you asked the Chargers offensive coordinator, the most significant change wouldn’t be moving to the West Coast, working for a new team or bearing a new title.
It’d be the pink and purple bracelet he wore in addition to his typical gold and sparkling wristwatch.
“I’m not sure if you know this, but it’s definitely made by a girl,” McDaniel said of the bracelet which bears the name of his five-year-old daughter, “Ayla,” and “Dad.” “I think it’s the most beautiful bracelet that I’ve ever seen. If you guys disagree, I’ll probably throw a shoe at you.”