Adam Schefter offers bleak injury outlook for Chargers QB Justin Herbert

Appearing on ESPN prior to the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night, Adam Schefter gave some insight on Justin Herbert's new plantar fascia injury. The clip of what Schefter said reached social media and made LA Chargers fans perhaps a little more concerned than they already are. The clip can be found here, but the transcript is as follows:

"Doctors have diagnosed him with plantar fascia in his right foot. And they're recommending that he stay in a walking boot for approximately two weeks before beginning a gradual return to play ramp up. The expectation right now is that they believe he should be ready for the regular season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. But, let me say this. Number one , this is not how you want to start out your summer. This is not how you want to have your quarterback dealing with a walking boot if you're the new head coach of the Chargers in Jim Harbaugh. And this is the type of injury that stays with a player for a long period of time. He may be back for the regular season opener. that may be the expectation. But he's going to be playing through some discomfort in that foot I think, potentially, for the whole season."

Schefter's hesitance in saying that Herbert "may be" ready for Week 1 does provide a stark contrast to the two-week timeline that the Chargers put out in their initial statement. From a public standpoint, we're still unsure of what the diagnosis is aside from "injury to plantar fascia" (which could be quite a few different kinds of injuries).

Plantar fascia injuries tend to be trickier to deal with a high rate of recurrence if not managed properly. While two weeks in a walking boot may solve some problems for Herbert, the "gradual return to play ramp up" has to obviously be executed in a delicate fashion.

Adam Schefter's update on Justin Herbert's foot injury will make Chargers fans more nervous

One does have to wonder how the injury may affect the use of Herbert as a runner. In the practice prior to the announcement of the injury, the Chargers executed a number of plays in team drills in which Herbert used his athleticism to move the chains.

Broken ribs and fingers have gotten in the way of the Chargers' star quarterback unleashing some of his athletic potential on the ground in prior seasons. Potentially having to manage this foot injury throughout the season could create a different game plan for Greg Roman's offense.

At his media availability, Harbaugh said that it was "full steam ahead" for the team as far as practicing without the former sixth overall pick. For at least the next two weeks of practice and then the preseason, attention will shift towards backup quarterback. Easton Stick.

Max Duggan and Casey Bauman will also get more practice reps, though we wouldn't rule out Jim Harbaugh bringing in another quarterback if Stick, Duggan and Bauman fail to impress in Herbert's stead.

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