The Los Angeles Chargers announced yesterday that quarterback Justin Herbert was diagnosed with an injury to his right foot. Speculation from fans and media followed the news, with no one outside of the organization truly knowing the severity of the issue.
The team's social media account stated the expectation is Herbert would be ready by the start of the regular season. ESPN's Adam Schefter agrees; however, he also speculated Herbert would have to deal with lingering effects of the injury even if he returned by the season opener.
In an appearance on ESPN, Schefter had this to say:
He may be back for the start of the regular season, that may be the expectation. But he's going to be playing through some discomfort in that foot for I think, potentially, the whole regular season.
Herbert has played through two separate injuries the past two years: Fractured rib cartilage in 2022 and a fractured finger on his left hand in 2023. No one denies how tough Herbert is, and fans can all but expect their franchise quarterback to will himself onto the field to face the Las Vegas Raiders. But, there may be lingering effects limiting Herbert's overall performance as a passer, scrambler, and runner.
In 2022, Herbert was ninth in Dropback EPA and eighth in Dropback Success Rate through the first to weeks of the season. After he fractured his ribs (which occurred in that Week 2 game), Herbert dropped to 18th and 17th in those two categories. A similar decline can be seen last year, where Herbert went from commanding a dominant Chargers passing offense against the Vikings to one that fell to 11th in Dropback EPA and 15th in Dropback Success Rate. Each injury took a toll on Herbert as he fought through the pain to stay on the field.
Regardless of physical impact, this injury will work against the Chargers in two other aspects that will affect the regular season: Chemistry and the playbook. Herbert will now miss valuable time working in a new system and throwing to two new starting receivers. The injury all but means any designed rushes for Herbert are thrown out for the foreseeable future.
The good news: The Chargers have a bye week the fifth week of the season, which is now a welcome sight after not seeming advantageous when announced a few months ago. Fans can only hope Herbert heals up better and faster than expected with five weeks to go before the home opener.
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