After working through the final minutes of the Chargers’ Thursday game, Justin Herbert undergo a series of tests. The scans did not show an injury that could force the star defender to miss much time, if at all.
Brandon Staley said Herbert had a broken rib cartilage and called his starting QB “day in and day out”. Herbert “seems to be on the upswing” in Bolts’ Week 3 game, Mike Garafolo by NFL.com report.
While Staley notes that this is a better outcome than a rib fracture, through Bridget Condon of NFL.com, fractures of any kind shouldn’t exactly be dismissed as an issue for a third-year passer. Herbert at one point allowed a run with an easy first fall as he winced in pain near the end of the Chargers’ Kansas City incline. Of course, he then launched an attack to DeAndre Carter to set up the Charger near the Chiefs target line.
A series of broken ribs stopped working Drew Brees for a long time in 2020, but The-Saints’ back four also suffered a collapsed lung. That series of injuries caused Brees to miss five games that season. Herbert has a longer period to strengthen for Week 3 – a Chargers-Jaguars match – but Thursday’s visuals are clearly unsettling.
It’s certainly been a pivotal year for the Chargers, who missed the playoffs in two of the three seasons Herbert had to stick with a rookie contract. The Bolts have drastically upgraded their roster this season, adding things like Khalil Mack, JC Jackson, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Kyle Van Noy and Bryce Callahan on defense. Herbert remains central to Tom Telesco’s plans. The former No 6’s overall pick becomes eligible for an extension in 2023, but he could be kept on his rookie contract through 2024 via a fifth-year option. Most teams have opted to renew before the 4th year with star midfielders, so this season could be Herbert’s last on that rookie contract.
