Sixth-year Chargers QB Justin Herbert poised to finally make first-ever preseason appearance
The 2020 first-round pick accomplished a lot during his first five seasons in the league without suiting up for a single exhibition game.
But, now a sixth-year pro, Herbert is finally making his first-ever preseason appearance. Like the rest of the Chargers' current offensive starters, he's set to play Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams.
"Our guys want to play," Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said Thursday. "They want the first series of the season not to be the first series of the season."
Although Harbaugh noted that he's holding back a pair of veterans on the defensive side of the ball, five-time All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack and four-time All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr., it's all system go for the Chargers' offense — that is, for one or two series of the game in SoFi Stadium.
Herbert didn't play in the preseason last year, Harbaugh's first leading the team, because he was nursing an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot.
Before that, when Brandon Staley was head coach, he didn't see preseason action, either. His rookie year overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the 2020 preseason. By the time the next summer rolled around, he was already an established starter in the league.
When a 27-year-old Herbert takes the field Saturday against the Rams, he'll be sharing it with wide receiver Keenan Allen, whom he spent four seasons with before Allen's one-year stay with the Chicago Bears.
While the Chargers' offense got Allen back this offseason, it lost left tackle Rashawn Slater to a season-ending torn patellar tendon in training camp. Plus, Mekhi Becton — whom the Chargers signed in free agency and were expected to play at guard this season — hasn't practiced since late July.
Los Angeles is dealing with moving parts up front, but the current iteration of its first-team offense will be on display this weekend, with Herbert front and center for his first-ever preseason appearance.
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