It has been an absolute disaster of a season for Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.
After reaching the postseason and being eliminated by the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots, the Chargers entered the 2026 season with high hopes. Instead, it has been an unmitigated disaster. The Chargers are 0-7, and Herbert has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.
One former player believes he knows the reasons for Herbert's issues this season.
Herbert had an excellent 2025 season, completing 340-of-512 passes (66.4%) for 3,727 yards with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. In fact, before this year, the only season Herbert did not have at least 23 touchdown passes was 2023, largely due to injuries that forced him to miss four games.
This season, Herbert has looked nothing like the player we have been watching since 2020. He's completed just 131-of-212 passes (61.8%) for 1,398 yards with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Herbert received a PFN QB Impact grade of 75.9 last season, which was 17th in the league. This season, Herbert's grade has fallen to 61.0, making him the lowest-graded of the 35 quarterbacks on this list.
Jordan Poyer, probably best known for his time in Buffalo with the Bills, where he was First-team All-Pro in 2021, thinks he knows Herbert's issue — former Miami Dolphins' head coach and current Chargers' offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
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"My theory is Mike McDaniel broke Justin Herbert," Poyer said .
Poyer spent the 2024 season playing under McDaniel with the Dolphins.
McDaniel went 35-33 in four seasons with the Dolphins before being fired following a career-worst 7-10 record last season. He was hired by the Chargers to replace Greg Roman, who was fired at the conclusion of last season.
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"This is not an offense that Justin Herbert feels comfortable in, let alone do I think it's an offense that Mike McDaniel is motivating Justin Herbert to feel that he can make some of these throws," Poyer explained.
According to Poyer, there are no windows for Herbert to throw into, but he is forcing passes anyway. Poyer explained that Tua Tagovailoa was letting it rip into windows back in 2023 with the Dolphins, but Herbert appears to be "throwing it blind," and Poyer questions whether Herbert trusts the system.
Obviously, Herbert has incredible arm talent. Everyone has seen that on display, which is why the Chargers quarterback's start is so confusing.
Poyer does have one final question: "I'm wondering if he is not necessarily confused, but if he trusts that system enough to be able to have enough confidence to make some of those throws."
If Herbert, McDaniel, and the Chargers don't get things fixed, their long season will only get longer. They'll look to get their first win when they play host to the Houston Texans on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
