Read the full transcript from Mike McDaniel 's press conference on October 8, 2025.
Q: One, is K Jason Sanders ready to return this week? And two, are you guys signing a nickel corner with both CB Jason Marshall Jr. and CB Cornell Armstrong out?
"We will, amongst several things, we will be adjusting our roster. I'll do the last first; Cornell (Armstrong) will be going on IR. We will be adding a nickel, and your former question?"
Q: About K Jason Sanders, if he will return this week?
"He will not. He will not this week."
Q: Nickel cornerback to the 53 or the practice squad?
"Right now, we'll be adding a player and there will be some subsequent moves that we'll do throughout the week."
Q: My question isn't specific to one player but in general, if you have a rookie or a couple of rookies who may be having trouble adjusting to the NFL, at what point are you concerned about putting them out there on the field and your confidence getting damaged where it could be a long-term thing? Or is it just better to let them go through it and learn on the job?
"I think it's very much a case-by-case basis. You're measuring the human being, the growth that he needs in his game that's very tangible and whether or not he is capable of that. At no point in time am I doing any decision that's based upon anything but winning a football game that week. We adjust each week. I think we've made some appropriate adjustments to – it's on coaches to try to get people in position, to adjust position and we adjust reps. We do what's the best available on the team right then and you do it with faith when you're correcting something that something is going to get corrected. That's always on the table, you don't absolute anyone but each case is different and unique to its own based on that player and the players around him and the cause effect that the alternatives would have. We'll always look at that dead in the eye and adjust if it's better to win a football game that week."
Q: Are CB Storm Duck or WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. ready to practice?
"Not yet for Storm (Duck). We should see 'Ced' (Cedrick Wilson Jr.) practice today and uptick his involvement as the week progresses."
Q: What do you see from TE Julian Hill both as a person and as a player?
"Julian Hill represents to me what – winning football has players on the team, on a unit, in a phase, like Julian Hill in that he's constantly working at the finer details of his craft. You ask him to do a lot of things on the offense that don't show up in box scores necessarily but are of primary importance like point of attack blocking and very critical protection and very critical space outlets and primaries. He does awesome with whatever is asked in terms of, he's either executing it or trying to do it the right way and the mistake is generally correctible, so there's always growth. For me, he's a different Julian Hill every year in a good way. Winning football games has players littered all over the field with people doing their jobs at a high level so the ultimate result can occur."
Q: What do you think are Chargers QB Justin Herbert's strengths?
"I think his ability to extend plays and while doing that, make a defense cover the entire field. He can put the ball across the field 50 yards on the other hash, so when he's using his athletic ability, he stresses your plaster and your connectivity to eligibles down the field. That threat of arm and legs, I think he's a competitor, I think he keeps getting better and he's someone that the opposing team is in charge of minimizing his production. You don't take him away or make him not be able to do, he's generally going to find some production and effect the game, but like you have to with a big guy in our division, it's strength in numbers and being connected to each other and responsibilities, rush lanes and strain."
Q: The Chargers added a pretty good player yesterday in Odafe Oweh, the edge. I'm curious when you're putting together your gameplan for the course of the week and then a big-time player like that gets added to a new team, does it kind of change the way you game plan or the mode of the week in terms of how things are going?
"I think you're always aware of the different tools that the scheme can utilize. I think with that particular player, we played against him in 2022 and faced him a couple times and know his strengths, so you can kind of picture how they're going to utilize him and how that fits within what they're already doing. You're always accounting for – just like if a guy was going to be anticipated being hurt but then he was able to play, you have that adjustment in who you're going against and forecasting how it fits, then making sure that we appropriately account for his skill set. It's just a very flat process of solution-oriented conversation."
Q: The Chargers have their top two running backs on IR. What are your thoughts on facing another hungry back up running back or two considering what just did happen?
"Well fortunately, or unfortunately, I look at you're above the line in the National Football League and you're on an active (roster) as a running back. Your trade is running the football and you must be regarded and respected as such; I think that was case in point. Any given week if you take any foot off the gas, any guy whether you know him or not – I'm not sure if you knew who No. 5 was last week, regardless you have to tackle him. That will be our focus. There's always talented runners on each team or they wouldn't be there. They will stress us and we will see if we're ready for them, or they'll introduce themselves to us in the way we don't want."
Q: I wanted to ask you about LB Tyrel Dodson. Obviously he's in the protocol right now. Why was it LB K.J. Britt that went into the game as his replacement, and if Dodson isn't capable of playing, does the green dot go to LB Jordyn Brooks or is somebody else in play?
"So what you do as you're formulating your team and you're finding the skill sets of individual players, you have position guys or players that back up positions specifically skilled to their skill set. So K.J. (Britt) and Willie (Gay Jr.), K.J. his primary role has been backing up 'T. Dot' (Tyrel Dodson) and competing with him, and with Willie competing and backing up, 'JB' (Jordyn Brooks). So then it's a different formula like if a guy's in the protocol, I always prepare for them to not play just because it's through the process and you care about that being perfected rather than playing. So when you are creating solutions for a different math problem, him being out, then you prepare differently. You utilize all the reps that Willie (Gay Jr.) does get at the 'Mike' and you get people, like any other position, you have people make up for it. Sometimes it's one person, sometimes it's two. The facilitation of how much K.J. versus Willie, how that will play out will be on the practice week and how we execute it. Just by and large, you always cross train, but you have a primary position of backing up so that you are getting the most reps and in this situation, that's how we managed all their reps and their ability to execute will dictate the ratio of plays they get on Sunday."
Q: I wanted to follow up with a question about DT Zeek Biggers. Where is he in his development considering the issue you guys have had at defensive tackle? He's a big body. Do you feel like he's at the stage where he can help you from a defensive standpoint?
"Yeah, I think he's been able to help us in certain phases and certain strengths of his game; however, I think what you're probably alluding to and what we're talking about in terms of his development in run defenses is primary for him to utilize his pass rush skill sets, if that makes sense. Like I've said in previous press conferences, our run defense failure, you don't have failure like that by one position and although there's individual clips or individual plays where you can see displacement, all the run defense is not on the specific players, as much as it's about a unified connectivity in all of them. It's much more than one player. It'd be a lot easier if it was just like, 'yeah, button.' But that being said, Zeek (Biggers) continues to develop his overall game so that he can contribute and in the ways you're talking about he's trying to go through the same development, but the more that you can be pretty good in one in one phase, whether it's pass rush or run defense to allow your primary skill set to be unlocked because you're on the field – you can't just sub defensive players on run and pass, you don't know what it is. Passing situations, you can, but you can really develop more the more you clean your game up across the board and he's working on that to be able to contribute on Sundays, for sure."
Q: How has QB Tua Tagovailoa handled expectations versus bottom-line results? I ask from a standpoint of we know Tua has had injuries, there have been offensive line injuries, now WR Tyreek Hill is out. But you look in the AFC and you see Mahomes and Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow and that's who Tua is compared to, so how has he handled expectations versus bottom-line results?
"I think it's one of the reasons I focus on how he grows as a quarterback in the micro instances that I think are so difficult as a franchise quarterback the National Football League. If you're uncomfortable with the stakes of the game, it's not a game for you. You're not going to change the stakes and he knows that, and I think that's why I put such a priority on focusing on what he's working on, being able to get better at things. While that is also always true, bottom line, black and white, you're held accountable for the results while you're trying to get better. That's difficult. I think he's as experienced as anyone with positive or negative noise, and I think in that, you find the best version of yourself when you're able to allow your own thoughts and decisions to dictate your opinion of yourself and how you're carried towards others and how you handle all those things. So not easy, but I think that's something that no quarterback in the National Football League is not exposed to. I think that's something that is very, very challenging and what separates people is that ability to work within the noise. If they tell you you're awesome or that you suck, how does that relate to what you're doing to influence your next performance? That's what he does."
Q: He seemed to have a couple of confident throws in the last game. How much of that do you think was being aware of his footwork and mechanics and how much of that do you think was related to mindset and approach?
"That's a really good question. I couldn't give the ratio, but if there's two factors and there's someone somewhere on 50/50 or anything, you can convince me that it was 80/20, 20/80. Those are the things for him, as a thrower, when he's connected to his mechanics, that's why he can put the ball wherever he wants to. And then you're talking about conviction and being able to both be aggressive but prevent or not have turnovers, that is a challenging deal. That's why you're a franchise quarterback and it's always tough, and in the short term, you do have to deal with result-based opinions, and again, both good and bad. The key for him is that he stays connected to his technique and fundamentals and then is able to take a leader of a team mindset, which sometimes means you have to do what's best for the team. And in an aggressive mindset, you can't throw a ball that you want to be aggressive with, but you have to live for the next down and check it down or you can't dive for a first down that you really want. These are all things that come into play, but mindset and fundamentals are the very top of the list and probably share the trajectory of that given game's play."
