Is Justin Herbert playing today vs Cowboys? Latest injury update for Chargers QB

It sounds crazy, but LA Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has never played a preseason game in his NFL career. There were no preseason games in his rookie season and every year after that his former head coach, Brandon Staley, rested every prominent starter during the preseason.

Current head coach Jim Harbaugh is more open to the idea of starters playing in the preseason but that has not mattered for Herbert. The star quarterback was put in a walking boot with a plantar fascia injury prior to the first preseason game of the year.

However, Herbert's walking boot was removed prior to the second preseason game of the year and the quarterback returned to practice on Monday. With Herbert on track to play in Week 1, it is worth questioning if he will get some preseason reps against the Dallas Cowboys so he can be more comfortable with the offense.

Justin Herbert will not play in Chargers-Cowboys preseason game

Despite returning to practice and having a big day on Wednesday, Justin Herbert will not see any game action today against the Dallas Cowboys. Harbaugh already said Easton Stick will be starting the final preseason game of the year, meaning Herbert will not play.

This does not mean anything for Herbert's availability for the start of the regular season. There is absolutely no reason to risk further injury to Herbert, who is dealing with a precarious injury as is. Plus, we don't even know if Harbaugh would have played Herbert at all even if he was fully healthy.

Thus, it will be the battle of backup quarterbacks once again as Stick looks to prove he is fit for the job behind Herbert. Battling him will be Luis Perez, who will likely play the entire second half.

The backup quarterback discourse may no longer seem important with Herbert's injury progressing as planned but it absolutely. The best teams in the league invest in their backup quarterbacks that way the entire season does not crater if the starter has to miss a handful of games.

And in today's NFL, missing a handful of games is unfortunately common for a starting quarterback.

Neither Stick or Perez have proven to be great backup options and if they struggle once more against the Cowboys then the Chargers may look at external options. There are plenty of more qualified quarterbacks who will likely be available for the Chargers to pursue.