Make or break contract year for Justin Herbert?

The LA Chargers’ Justin Herbert is an incredibly talented quarterback; having been drafted him with the sixth overall pick in 2020. He has enjoyed tremendous success with Los Angeles and has time to further his legacy in the sport.

We can all see that Herbert’s game has many strengths, but everyone can improve. 

What he does well

The former Oregon playcaller has taken the league by storm ever since his first game. At 25, Herbert has the talent to go on and become one of the best, but the results have yet to go his way due to injuries to key playmakers such as Mike Williams and Kennan Allen.

A significant strength for Herbert is his ability to get the ball downfield. It is an essential skill for a quarterback as it allows them to create big chuck plays. He hit the ground running in his rookie season; scoring 31 passing touchdowns, which broke Baker Mayfield’s record.

Herbert has successfully thrown for over 4,000 yards every season in the league. Consistency is vital, and the Chargers have had great production levels over the past few years.

Now, Herbert is at the right age where the young quarterback has a great blend of experience, and the former offensive rookie of the year has acquired the ability to run an offence. Yet, he is still young to grow and develop as a player.

Where can he improve in 2023?

Even though injuries to their elite playmakers have hampered LA’s ability to get results, you could argue Herbert has been underachieving.

There are plenty of good players around him in this group, yet they haven’t, as a collective, been able realistically to make an impact or a difference come playoff time.

Herbert and the Chargers seem to choke in essential games, for example, the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, where they blew a 30 point lead in a half. Herbert is an excellent passer in a clean pocket, but does struggle to make throws when pressure is coming for him. A lot of young quarterbacks struggle with this part of the game.

Another weakness of his game is that Herbert struggles to make the right reads when passing the ball. It is a significant flaw; if the quarterback can’t read correctly, he could throw it at the wrong person. It can make a quarterback turnover prone, which is not the best quality.

Herbert’s game has weaknesses and strengths, and with time on his side, it will be exciting to see where he can go.