T
he Los Angeles Chargers are hard at work on preparing for the upcoming NFL season. On Saturday, August 16th, the Chargers will be the designated road team when they take on the Los Angeles Rams for their third preseason game. But this week’s game will be a little bit more interesting than other preseason games that the Chargers have played in recent years because it will feature some players who had never played in the preseason.
Quarterback Justin Herbert will start and play in the first ever preseason contest of his career. Herbert, drafted by the Chargers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, has never featured in a preseason contest during his time in the NFL, with various factors preventing him from making an appearance in any preseason campaigns.
The Plan for the Starters on Saturday
Starters are used sparingly in the preseason to avoid injuries but according to Chargers head coach, Jim Harbaugh, the starters requested that they get some playing time in this week’s contest. But Harbaugh made it clear that he will only keep the starters in for the first series and that some of the starters may not even play that long.
“Our guys want to play,” Harbaugh said. “They want the first series of the season not to be the first series of the season.”
According to Herbert, it was actually Harbaugh who approached him about playing in the preseason and that before left tackle Rashawn Slater went down with a knee injury, the idea was for Herbert and some of the other starters to play in the team’s second preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.
“I wanted to go out there and seal a pass rush,” Herbert said. “Because in practice as a quarterback, you don’t always get the true feeling of the pass rush, so I thought it’d be helpful to go out there.”
Why Harbaugh Is Finally Letting Starters Play in Preseason
The Chargers starters did not play in the preseason last year, with Harbaugh opting to keep them fresh for the regular season. But this year, Harbaugh wants to get some starters out there– mostly the ones on offense– so that the offense can get on the same page with timing and execution. However, defensive starters Khalil Mack and Derwin James will sit out of August 16th’s preseason game, with Harbaugh confident that they will be ready to go for Week One.
“I know they’ll be ready,” Harbaugh said.
Guard Mekhi Becton is another starter who is not expected to play, as he is recovering from an undisclosed injury. His status for the start of the season is still uncertain, but the Chargers hope to have him back ASAP.
Playing in the preseason will be a new experience for Herbert, but one that he is ready for. During his rookie season in 2020– a year where he would have gotten preseason reps– the COVID pandemic forced the league to cancel all preseason games. Then in 2021-23, Herbert sat out of the preseason to stay fresh for the regular season. Last season, in Harbaugh’s first year as the Chargers head coach, a plantar fascia injury kept Herbert out of preseason action.
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