Is Justin Herbert playing today? Latest injury update on LA Chargers QB

Superstar quarterback Justin Herbert has never played a preseason NFL game in his career. The preseason was canceled altogether in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no prominent Chargers starters played in the preseason from 2021 through 2023 under former head coach Brandon Staley.

Fast forward to 2024 and new head coach Jim Harbaugh did not completely rule out the idea of playing starters in the preseason. However, Herbert was diagnosed with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot and was put in a walking foot, completely halting all football activities.

Chargers fans were provided with a massive Justin Herbert injury update two days before the team's next preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. Herbert was removed from the walking boot on Thursday, indicating that his return to play is going as scheduled.

With Herbert fresh out of the boot, many Chargers fans started to wonder if the superstar quarterback is going to make his preseason debut after all. Unfortunately, the answer might be disappointing.

Justin Herbert will not play in the Chargers-Rams preseason game

Even with the positive injury update, Herbert will not be suiting up against the Rams on Saturday. In fact, unless something changes, Chargers fans should not expect Herbert to play at all during the preseason.

The entire plan for Herbert and his foot injury was to put him in a walking boot for two weeks and then kickstart a "graduated return-to-play" process. Thursday marked two weeks since the star quarterback was put in the boot, so the Chargers are operating on schedule.

Herbert's return-to-play protocol likely will not include any action in the preseason itself. The Chargers are being beyond conservative with Herbert's injury to ensure he is at healthy and pain-free as possible for Week 1 vs the Las Vegas Raiders.

While it would benefit Herbert and the Chargers to get him live reps in this new offense, the team is going to have to make do with what Herbert is physically able to do during practice. There is absolutely no reason to risk anything, hence why Herbert won't be making his preseason debut.

Thus, fans can expect to see more mediocre quarterback play from Herbert's backups as Easton Stick and Co. battle it out for the QB2 job. Herbert is not completely out of the woods yet, so it is important to get the best possible backup quarterback to survive if Herbert has to miss any time in the regular season.