LA Chargers fans were hit with awful news on Thursday as the team announced Justin Herbert suffered a plantar fascia injury and will be in a walking boot for at least two weeks.
According to the team, Herbert will wear the boot for two weeks before undergoing a graduated return-to-play protocol with the expectation he will be ready for the start of the regular season. However, as Chargers fans know all too well, injuries do not always go exactly as planned.
This injury specifically is one where the Chargers have to operate with an abundance of caution. Fascia injuries are tricky and tend to linger. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Herbert will be able to return for the regular season, but will be playing through pain in the process.
And there is also the risk of worsening the injury. If Herbert tears his fascia then it will almost certainly end his 2024 season, ending any hopes of a playoff run in the process. The Chargers organization know this all too well, as this was the exact situation Antonio Gates found himself in over a decade ago.
This same injury with Herbert happened to Antonio Gates in 2010. Gates tried to play through it & he tore the plantar fascia & it ended his season. He only played 10 games (lowest of his career). This is a very sensitive injury, Chargers gotta proceed with caution
— Garrett Sisti (@GarrettSisti) August 1, 2024
Chargers need to be extremely careful with Justin Herbert's injury
Short-term gains cannot outweigh the long-term impact of this injury on the Chargers. If scrambling to get Herbert ready for the start of the season results in there being a bigger chance of re-injury then the Chargers need to pump the brakes and play the long game.
Of course, Herbert is working with professionals and they are not going to blindly throw him to the wolves and risk injury. But Herbert is someone who has prided himself on being durable and playing through injuries in the past. At some point, the team has to protect Herbert from himself.
Right now, it seems likely that he will be able to return for the start of the regular season and not miss any action. But if there are any kind of setbacks, big or small, the Chargers have to pause the entire operation, re-evaluate, and get ready to maybe play games without Herbert under center.
This is not the same situation as Herbert's fractured rib cartilidge in 2022. While that injury also resulted in him playing through pain and limited his production, there was not a significant chance of re-injury. It was mostly a pain tolerance situation with Herbert.
This is different. The foot pain might not be as grueling as ribcage pain, but there is a higher chance of re-injury. The Chargers need to remember that and must avoid turning a bad situation into a horrible situation, as the team did with Gates in 2010.
Thankfully, that was 14 years ago and there have been several regime changes since then. The Chargers should have the best resources possible to make the most educated decision about Herbert's health.