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Chargers’ Justin Herbert injures right foot, expected to be ready by regular season

By Daniel Popper
Aug 1, 2024

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert sustained an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot, but is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, the team announced Thursday. The Chargers said the injury was diagnosed following Wednesday’s training camp practice.

According to the team, doctors recommended Herbert wear a walking boot on his right foot for approximately two weeks, followed by a gradual return to play.

Herbert did not miss a rep with the first-team offense in Wednesday’s practice so it’s unclear when this injury actually occurred. Herbert did have three runs during the practice: a designed keeper on the second play of 11-on-11 drills, a long scramble up the right sideline in a two-minute sequence and a situational end-of-game/end-of-half designed run to the sideline in a later period.

Herbert, 26, is coming off a 2023 season where he missed four games with a broken finger on his right hand. The Chargers only went 5-8 with Herbert as the starter last year.

The Chargers officially labeled this as an “an injury to the plantar fascia” in Herbert’s right foot. There is a key distinction between an injury to the plantar fascia and plantar fasciitis, according to Dr. Kenneth Jung, a foot and ankle consultant for the Los Angeles Rams who is an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan Jobe Institute.

“Plantar fasciitis is more like a degenerative condition with people who have chronic heel pain,” Jung said. “That’ll just be flat-out pain, and if you have pain, you can play through it if you can control the pain. If it’s an injury, then in my mind that would imply that it’s trauma-caused, something like a strain or partial tearing or stretching of the tissue.”

Added Jung: “If it’s something where they’re putting him in a boot and they’re saying it’s an injury, I wouldn’t think it’s plantar fasciitis.”

The plantar fascia is the arch ligament on the bottom of the foot. Jung said the Chargers putting Herbert in a boot indicates they are “trying to protect the tissue.”

“It can turn into something chronic or linger just because of the sense that we’re always on our feet, standing, walking,” Jung said. “We’ve always got load there. Versus if it’s a hand, you can rest it somewhat. And that’s where it can definitely be something chronic, especially in an athlete where they continue to try to play on it. You can aggravate it. The hope is that I would imagine they’re letting it calm down, letting the thing heal, and then as long as they protect it — taping, insoles, things like that — than you can prevent it from getting aggravated or re-injured.”

This is what Justin Herbert is feeling in his foot as a Quarterback & why I’m a little concerned for this Chargers offense.

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— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) August 1, 2024

Herbert will be in the boot for approximately two weeks, according to the Chargers. The team said Herbert is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Is that a realistic timeline?

“A lot of it depends on what grade of a strain it is, how extensive the injury is,” Jung said. “But I think if it’s a small strain, then yeah, two weeks would probably be reasonable. It’s so early in the year that I think they’re going to try to err on the side of caution. They got months to go.”

Another year, another injury

For the third straight season, Herbert is dealing with a rather significant injury. In 2022, he fractured his rib cartilage in Week 2 and had to manage the pain for the remainder of the season. Last year, he fractured a finger on his non-throwing hand in Week 4. Then he fractured the index finger on his throwing hand in Week 14. The second fractured finger ended Herbert’s season, and he needed surgery. Now Herbert is sidelined after just seven training camp practices, only two of which were padded. He will miss crucial time as coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman continue building out their system.

If Herbert spends two weeks in the walking boot, he would not even begin his gradual return to fully practicing until Aug. 15. The Chargers’ final training camp practice is Aug. 22. Their season opener is Sept. 8 at home against the Raiders. The timeline gets pretty condensed.

Herbert is still learning a new scheme. Four of his favorite targets are gone in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett. Two of his top three receivers are new to the roster — rookie Ladd McConkey and veteran DJ Chark. Both his top running backs — Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins — are new to the roster. He also has two new targets atop the tight end room in Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst. These two weeks of practice time was going to be immensely valuable, especially in terms of developing chemistry with all these new skill position players.

While Herbert is sidelined, Easton Stick will take over as QB1. Stick replaced Herbert for the final 4 1/2 games last season. He completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 1,129 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Stick also fumbled five times and lost four of them. Stick showed enough to the new coaching staff down the stretch of last season. He was re-signed in the spring to be the backup. Also on the depth chart: second-year quarterback Max Duggan and rookie Casey Bauman. Stick is the guy, though.

With Justin Herbert sidelined, Chargers backup Easton Stick returns to the spotlight

By Daniel Popper
Aug 2, 2024

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — In the spring, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh debuted a new practice jersey for quarterback Justin Herbert. Every other day during organized team activities, the Chargers wore game jerseys and football pants. One side of the ball in powder blue. The other side in white. Herbert, as the starting quarterback, was the only player in a gold jersey.

Herbert said he asked Harbaugh on the first day of spring practice if the other quarterbacks could also wear gold jerseys.

“He said it was his rule,” Herbert said. “So if it’s his rule, I’m following it.”

The Chargers held their first padded practice of training camp Monday. And there was a surprise: two gold jerseys. Herbert was wearing his. Backup quarterback Easton Stick was also wearing a gold jersey for a first time.

The extra color was short lived. Four days later, it was back to one gold jersey on the Chargers’ practice field — Stick’s No. 2. Herbert was diagnosed with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot after Wednesday’s practice. He did not practice Thursday. Herbert will be in a walking boot for approximately the next two weeks, the Chargers said in a statement. Herbert was working out in the weight room during Thursday’s practice with executive director of player performance Ben Herbert.

Chargers' Herbert injures right foot, expected to be ready by regular season

The Chargers said Herbert is expected to begin a “graduated return to play protocol” after the two weeks in the boot. They also said the “expectation (is) that he will be ready for the start of the regular season.”

After Thursday’s practice, Harbaugh provided few additional details.

“No update,” Harbaugh said. “I thought the statement was very thorough.”

Following yesterday’s practice, Justin Herbert was diagnosed with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot.

Doctors have recommended approximately two weeks in a boot — followed by a graduated return to play protocol — with the expectation that he will be ready for the…

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 1, 2024

Herbert is learning a new offense. He is throwing to six new skill position players — receivers Ladd McConkey and DJ Chark, running backs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins and tight ends Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst.

“Full steam ahead,” Harbaugh said. “The preparation, the work continues. He’s not on the field in the practice, but meeting room, still in the training environment. That chemistry, that rapport that you build with those position players, his teammates, that continues.”

Harbaugh said he is “not qualified” to say if the injury happened on a specific play. He said he is “not qualified” to answer if Herbert had been dealing with any pain in the foot previously — either in the spring or earlier in training camp.

Earlier this week, Harbaugh said he gets reports from the medical staff on injured players. He was asked if any of those reports indicated that Herbert had previously been dealing with pain in the foot.

“I’ll just refer you back to the statement,” Harbaugh said. “That’s the best I can do.”

This is what Justin Herbert is feeling in his foot as a Quarterback & why I’m a little concerned for this Chargers offense.

-New Offensive System
-New OC Greg Roman
-New head coach Jim Harbaugh
-New WR Corp

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) August 1, 2024

Stick, who the Chargers re-signed in the offseason, is in line to start if Herbert misses any time in the regular season. Stick started the final four games in 2023 after Herbert fractured the index finger on his throwing hand, an injury that required surgery.

In his lonely gold jersey, Stick took all the first-team reps in Thursday’s practice. Max Duggan and Casey Bauman both wore white jerseys, as they have throughout camp. Duggan took the second-team reps. Bauman took the third-team reps. Duggan and Bauman had been splitting third-team reps before Herbert’s injury.

Stick had his best period of practice during seven-on-seven. All the snaps were third downs in the red zone. On the first play, Stick recognized receiver Joshua Palmer one-on-one with Asante Samuel Jr. to the outside right. He made a good read and lofted a jump ball to Palmer in the end zone. Palmer fended off Samuel’s tight coverage for the touchdown.

Stick also hit rookie receiver Jaylen Johnson for a touchdown on a crossing route in the period.

In 11-on-11, Stick was solid attacking the middle of the field in short and intermediate areas. He showed off accuracy and timing on a number of such throws.

He hit rookie receiver Brenden Rice on a comeback route. Stick fit the ball into a small window with cornerback Deane Leonard closing. Rice made a good contested catch.

Later, Stick connected with tight end Stone Smartt on a crossing route. Smartt created separation on linebacker Daiyan Henley, and Stick made an accurate throw. Stick found Smartt again in the final period of practice. He threaded a pass in between Henley and safety Alohi Gilman, who had Smartt bracketed over the middle.

In the previous period, Stick threw a seed to rookie tight end Luke Benson over the middle to convert a third-and-8.

Stick also showed some poise at the line of scrimmage. He drew edge rusher Joey Bosa offside with a hard count on a second down. Stick knew he had a free play and threw a deep shot to receiver Quentin Johnston into the end zone. Kristian Fulton picked it off, but this was good awareness from Stick, as there is no downside to taking a chance in this situation. The interception would have been negated by the penalty.

“He was the same that he was the day before,” Harbaugh said of Stick. “He attacks everything he does, the way he goes about his business is always top notch.”

There were some negative plays, too. Stick did not put enough on a third-and-2 throw to Hayden Hurst on an out route. Fulton broke that pass up. He misfired badly on a comeback route to Palmer on a third-and-1. Samuel was in coverage. On a third-and-4, Stick threw to Dobbins on a swing route. Linebacker Troy Dye was in tight coverage on Dobbins and hit him as soon as the pass arrived. Stick also had a pass batted at the line by slot corner Ja’Sir Taylor.

The Chargers were back in pads Thursday. They held another nine-on-seven drill, which focuses on the run game. Offensive linemen, tight ends, fullbacks against defensive linemen, linebackers and safeties.

The Chargers’ first-team offensive line was back to full strength for this drill: left tackle Rashawn Slater, left guard Zion Johnson, center Bradley Bozeman, right guard Trey Pipkins III, right tackle Joe Alt.

The defense dominated.

Defensive lineman Poona Ford stuffed Dobbins on the first play. Three plays later, edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu got immediate penetration through the offense’s left side and had a tackle-for-loss.

The second-team units then went fully live for the next series. On the first play, edge rusher Chris Rumph II tackled running back Isaiah Spiller for a loss. Linebacker Nick Niemann and Dye combined for a stuff on the next play. Rookie defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe wrapped up Spiller after a 2-yard gain on the ensuing play. And on the final play, rookie linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste dragged rookie running back Kimani Vidal down from behind.

“Our defense was really impressive today,” Harbaugh said. “There was kind of a run wall that you want to see. That’s super encouraging. … You got to have a run wall. We aspire to have a run wall. We strive for that.”

The third-team units also went fully live. Rookie offensive lineman Karsen Barnhart, who was playing right guard, jumped out in this series. He had two good blocks in a three-play stretch. The first created room for Vidal. He was pulling on the second play and nearly created enough space for running back Elijah Dotson to pick up the first on a third-and-5.

The first-team offense did finally break a run off in 11-on-11. Dobbins bounced to the outside left and beat defenders up the sideline for a 15-yard gain. The explosion from Dobbins was eye-opening. He is moving really well. Dobbins is less than a year removed from an Achilles tear.

“Offensively,” Harbaugh said, “let’s chip away.”

News and notes

• Edwards, McConkey, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and receiver Leon Johnson were not on the field for Thursday’s practice. Tight end Donald Parham Jr. and linebacker Junior Colson were working off to the side.

• Hurst, edge rusher Khalil Mack and linebacker Denzel Perryman left about midway through practice to continue working out with Ben Herbert in the weight room. They returned to the field toward the end of practice. Dye worked with the first team in place of Perryman. He had three tackles for loss in the practice.

• Duggan was the lone quarterback to get a two-minute drive. He was running the second-team offense. On the first play of the drive, Duggan threw behind receiver Derius Davis on an out route. Tarheeb Still intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown.

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— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 2, 2024

• The first-team kickoff unit: kicker Cameron Dicker; Samuel; safety AJ Finley; Niemann; Tuipulotu; Henley; cornerback Deane Leonard; Dye; safety JT Woods, Rumph; Taylor