Bad news for Chargers: Justin Herbert's foot injury requires a boot for weeks

The Chargers , who have a long history of losing key players to injury, are suddenly dealing with uncertainty at their most important position.

Quarterback Justin Herbert will wear a boot for approximately two weeks because of a plantar fascia injury in his right foot, the team announced Wednesday.

The diagnosis came after practice Tuesday. A team spokesman said there will be a “graduated return-to-play protocol,” and there’s an expectation Herbert will be ready for the start of the regular season.

Regardless, it’s a significant setback for a highly talented player who could be poised for a breakout season under new coach Jim Harbaugh.

Beneath Herbert on the quarterback depth chart are Easton Stick — who started four games last season when Herbert was injured and went 0-4 — Max Duggan and Casey Bauman.

Harbaugh has been careful to slowly increase the intensity of Chargers practices as to avoid the soft-tissue injuries that plague some teams.

“If you have an injury to your plantar fascia, it may be more like a strain or partial tearing,” said Dr. Kenneth Jung, who is not treating Herbert but spoke generally about the condition. “If he’s going to be in a boot for a couple weeks, then most likely it’s not a rupture. It’s your arch ligament, so if he strained it or had a partial tear, that sounds like it would be consistent with that treatment.”

Jung, a orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute, said such injuries to the arch of the foot can progress if the patient returns to full activity too early.

“If it’s something where they’re shutting him down, then it may be something where you don’t want to jeopardize the structure of the plantar fascia," he said. "If it’s the middle of the season, it’s probably something that you play through. But at this point, they’ve got a long way to go.”

Former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer remembers playing through the pain of a plantar fascia injury.

“It’s kind of like a hamstring injury,” he said. “They might call it a four- to six-week injury, but the worst thing you can do is give that injury four weeks. Better to give it eight than six. If you don’t rest it up beyond when it feels good, you’re going to do it again.”

The Chargers open the regular season in five weeks, at home against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 8.

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts — who, like Herbert, played at the University of Oregon before going on to star with the Chargers — recalls hobbling in training camp with a plantar fascia injury but was healthy enough to return for the regular-season opener.

Both quarterbacks suffered injury to the right foot, the plant foot for right-handed throwers.

“That plant foot is like a pitcher coming off the rubber,” Fouts said. “It’s how you get things started.”

Recalled Fouts: “After the injury, it was a pretty significant tape job from that point on. I got to the point where I wanted the same tape job on the other foot too. I would take up a lot of time on the taping table.

“Justin will do everything he can and be smart about it. But he’s got to be careful because it can be chronic.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .