Herbert, Chargers offense set the tone in San Francisco-Los Angeles joint practice

The Los Angeles Chargers used their joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers to establish early offensive rhythm Tuesday in El Segundo, Calif., according to FOX Sports. The session provided a clean look at how the Chargers intend to operate Week 1-style football against an opponent, rather than rehearsing only within their own system.

Central to the day was quarterback Justin Herbert, who was part of the Chargers’ first sustained periods of execution in a true game environment. FOX Sports’ report framed the practice as Herbert and the Chargers “having their way” with the 49ers at points, underscoring how quickly the offense found its footing against a defense from another organization.

For the Chargers, the contrast between familiar install work and real defensive answers is often the point of these joint looks. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, highlighted in the FOX Sports account, said he was looking forward to seeing Herbert in action for the first time executing the offense against a defense from another team. That comment places the emphasis on evaluation, not just reps, as McDaniel measures what the quarterback can anticipate and how the unit handles in-game adjustments.

San Francisco, meanwhile, entered the work with the typical challenge of facing a different run-pass language than they see in their own practices. Joint practices can reveal whether a defense can match up early in downs, control spacing, and respond without falling behind the play-call pacing. Even when a defense gives up chunks of yardage, the most valuable takeaway is how quickly it reorients, which is something staffs often track rep-to-rep rather than by a final stat line.

The “takeaways” theme from FOX Sports also speaks to how these sessions influence the final stretch of training camp preparation. For an offense, the goal is to connect timing with tempo and protect against common errors that show up when opponents bring different looks. For a defense, the goal is to avoid overreacting to what a single unit shows early and to learn how to tackle and communicate through traffic in a controlled setting.

As both teams continue camp work, the practical question is whether what looked smooth in practice carries into later team segments, particularly when play-calling becomes more conservative or when the opponent’s starters rotate more deliberately. The joint practice also functions as a measurement point for coordinator and unit chemistry, because the next steps involve tightening reads, correcting execution issues, and building consistency across the full drive rather than isolated plays.

What to watch next is how each side responds during the remainder of training camp, especially in the areas a joint practice tends to expose: third-down structure, red-zone clarity, and the ability for both offenses and defenses to adjust after early success or early resistance. These are the moments that determine whether a practice advantage turns into a real-season advantage.