Per Jim Harbaugh, Chargers QB Justin Herbert will not practice on Wednesday. Harbaugh clarified that LA's quarterback would be on the field and at least participate in team walkthroughs. But at least for Wednesday's practice, Herbert is projected to be a DNP. On Monday, the team announced that Herbert had surgery to stabilize a broken metacarpal bone in his left non-throwing hand.
Alarm bells for Herbert not playing on Monday Night Football against the Eagles shouldn't be going off quite yet though. Harbaugh was asked if the Chargers are preparing this week as if Herbert will be the starter vs. Philadelphia:
Chargers QB Justin Herbert is still on track to start against the Eagles on Monday Night Football despite missing practice.
"Yeah, we're preparing. We're optimistic that's going to be the case," Harbaugh answered.
Harbaugh went on to say that the "same exact gameplan" will be prepared for both Herbert and backup QB Trey Lance. Lance played 10 snaps in Sunday's win vs. the Raiders before Herbert was able to re-enter the game. The former NDSU product will get all of the first-team reps in Wednesday's practice.
On Sunday after the win vs. Las Vegas, Herbert stated that he was treating his hand injury as if he was going to play against the Eagles on MNF.
Barring more complications in practice or recovery, it seems like Herbert is on track to play on Monday. In 2023, the Chargers signal caller played through a broken middle finger on his left hand. Until it was fully recovered, Herbert had to wear a splint device. Whether it's a glove like in Sunday's game or something else entirely, he'll once again have some heavy protection on his non-throwing hand.
Assuming Herbert plays, the question is just how different the Chargers' offense will have to be ran relative to normal operation. The Chargers did not go under center on offense once Herbert re-entered the game on Sunday.
One could expect more shotgun/pistol looks in order to facilitate the offense and keep LA's QB1 protected. Earlier this week, Harbaugh said that they can replicate some of the under center concepts using pistol/shotgun looks. It will simply be about how creative OC Greg Roman is willing to be in addition to how much the Chargers trust Herbert to hold up physically throughout the game.
The next step for the Chargers is hopefully getting Herbert to register least one practice period in the remainder of the week. Los Angeles will practice on their normal Wednesday/Thursday/Friday schedule but publish game statuses and the final injury report on Saturday. We'll likely have some sort of confirmation or reporting on Herbert's status before Monday's game.