Quarterback Justin Herbert told reporters Friday he suffered a high right ankle sprain during the Chargers’ victory Sunday over the Carolina Panthers. He didn’t practice with his teammates and the Chargers listed him as questionable to play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Easton Stick is likely to start in Herbert’s place, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier in the week. Stick was 0-4 last season as Herbert’s replacement after Herbert suffered a season-ending fractured right index finger in the Chargers’ loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 14.
“It’s not great,” Herbert told reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the team stayed between games against Carolina and Pittsburgh, cutting down on coast-to-coast travel. “Every day, it’s been getting better. It’s just getting it to a point where you feel comfortable going out there and being able to move.”
Herbert was injured on a third-down scramble out of the pocket in the third quarter of the Chargers’ 26-3 victory over the Panthers, which gave them their first 2-0 start to a season since 2012. Herbert did not miss a snap in the game and X-rays taken later were said to be negative for a fracture.
The Chargers said Herbert didn’t practice Wednesday or Friday and was listed as a limited participant Thursday. He was spotted by reporters in Charlotte with his right ankle taped heavily as he played catch on the sideline during the portion of the Chargers’ practice open to the media Friday.
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“It’s all about getting treatment and going in there (the athletic training room) and making sure it’s at its best and doing everything I can to limit the swelling, limit the pain and just keep things moving forward,” Herbert said of his high ankle sprain, which typically takes longer to rehabilitate than other ankle sprains.
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The Chargers ruled rookie linebacker Junior Colson out of Sunday’s game because of a hamstring injury suffered against the Panthers.
Herbert, edge rusher Bud Dupree (illness), safety Alohi Gilman (knee), wide receiver Joshua Palmer (elbow/calf) and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula) were listed as questionable.