Colts expert explains what the Chargers must do in order to prevent Justin Herbert from suffering the same fate as Andrew Luck
The Bolts have to find a way to keep Justin Herbert healthy going forward.
Offensive line issues have plagued the Los Angeles Chargers for some time now. The Fans know it, and the front office now understands it better than anyone following recent major injuries on the OL. For quarterback Justin Herbert, his career could be on the line when you see how another ultra-talented QB had his cut short due to instability in front of him.
Offensive line issues can doom Justin Herbert’s career in Los Angeles
The Chargers have to get better upfront, and quickly, if they want to see postseason success from Justin Herbert and the offense this year. While he is one of the most gifted passers in football, you’ve got to have time to make plays and orchestrate an NFL offense. Past this season, the Chargers need him healthy and at his best.
Numbers do not lie in most cases. Basically every statistic you see regarding the protection of Justin Herbert in recent weeks has been a negative one for Los Angeles. Losing Rashawn Slater in the preseason, and now Joe Alt early in the regular season, has potentially fatal consequences for the team’s offense.
Key OL stats for Chargers this season
- In the last 3 games, the Chargers have faced 81 combined pressures from opposing defenses.
- Justin Herbert just threw for a first down on 2nd & 18 and 2 & 28 on consecutive snaps during Week 5 loss. Both were negated by offensive penalties.
- Herbert is currently on pace to be sacked 58 times this season.
For the Chargers quarterback, this sort of offensive line struggle in front of him can provide long-term danger to his career. Former Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck saw his playing career end much too early due to injuries sustained behind a consistently below average OL.
I discussed Luck’s unfortunate end to his career and how it compares to Herbert’s situation in recent seasons with Colts beat writer Destin Adams.
Comparing Herbert’s situation to Andrew Luck’s past
“Andrew Luck’s way too soon retirement will always feel like one do the biggest travesties in the Colts’ franchise’s history but also in NFL history. A special talent at the QB position from the moment he stepped onto the NFL scene and honestly wasn’t appreciated enough for how incredible he was. His ability to overcome shortcomings on his roster and consistently win double digit games and lead the team to the playoffs was nothing short of remarkable.
“His ability to do this though led the Colts regime at the time to be negligent at putting talent around him. Their inability to build an offensive line that could protect him effectively led to multiple injuries that piled up throughout his career and took a tole on Luck’s physical and mental health. So seeing another spectacular talent like Herbert having to deal with a situation that isn’t identical but has plenty of similarities is giving me a bad case of Deja Vu. In Herbert’s case, the Chargers have been hit hard by injuries losing their top two tackles to start the year to significant injuries.
“My personal advice to the Chargers for this season is to alter the weekly offensive gameplan to adjust to the version of their offensive line they are having to play with now. They can’t continue to try and operate their offense as if Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are walking through the door tomorrow. Give Herbert quicker route options to hit and prioritize getting him out of the pocket to create more time. Lastly, let this season be a lesson that your offensive line depth simply isn’t good enough to withstand this level of injuries, and be aggressive in taking swings in free agency or the draft to improve it.” — Destin Adams, A to Z Sports
As physically gifted as Herbert is or Luck was, there is no band-aid for offensive lines problems. Those have to be fixed with roster construction, play-calling, and a bit of injury luck. For the Bolts, they must find ways to keep Herbert upright in order for him to continue a long, impressive career that he is set up for with his potential.
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