Justin Herbert’s season hasn’t even started and it has already taken a wild turn. The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback was hit by the injury bug just days into training camp. The injury also is no simple fix.
Before this week, one only needed to look at Herbert’s loss of Keenan Allen and the addition of Jim Harbaugh as the biggest new factors in determining the quarterback’s season. Now, the Chargers quarterback has much bigger problems. Before even getting to those points, his immediate health and future health is a concern.
According to a statement released by the Chargers, Herbert has a plantar fascia injury in his right foot. This isn’t the same as a strain or a sprain or even a break. This is an injury that could follow him for the entire season. That said, the injury isn’t expected to sidebar him from any regular-season games at this time. However, it is something that could linger and affect him for all of 2024.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert tiptoeing into getting hit with dreaded “injury-prone” label
The injury is especially worrying considering it is the same type of injury that ruined Peyton Manning’s last regular season in the NFL. In the season before his final year, Manning threw for 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. In 2015, his final season, he threw for nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions. This proves just how difficult of an injury this can be for quarterbacks to play through.
Of course, Herbert is younger than Manning was at the time. As such, he could heal faster and play better through the injury. However, nothing is guaranteed. Either way, it appears that Herbert will need to play through more pain than most of the other quarterbacks in the NFL to start the season.
At this point, Herbert is tiptoeing into generating a chronic injury-prone perception. Last year, he failed to finish the season due to injury. This year, he will be starting the season with a new one. You don’t like to expect the worst from players on this front, but there is a real chance that Justin Herbert might not make it through 17 games of action.
If that happens, Harbaugh is in for one big rollercoaster ride this season and one that might make the Chargers think twice about their quarterback’s long-term future.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
Most Popular
Comments / 0