After sitting out the preseason opener, how likely will we see Justin Herbert play in the Los Angeles Chargers‘ second preseason contest? With the Chargers taking on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night, here is all we know about Herbert’s chances of suiting up.
Will Justin Herbert Play in Second Preseason Game?
With lousy weather forecasted and the Chargers-Saints’ game’s viability to even be played very much in doubt, all indications are that Los Angeles head coach Brandon Staley is leaning in favor of resting and protecting his starters, which makes the possibility that we see Herbert on Sunday night slim to none.
Fans should be prepared to see a heavy dose of the Chargers’ backups on both sides of the ball against the Saints tonight. The idea, as is with most preseason games, will be to develop the young players and try to settle some ongoing back-end roster battles.
How To Watch Los Angeles Chargers vs. New Orleans Saints
Start time: 7 p.m ET
Channel: NFL Network and NFL+
Who Will Play Instead of Justin Herbert?
The Chargers currently have three quarterbacks on their roster, with the assumption being that the two others behind Herbert will split the work during Sunday’s preseason contest.
First up will be the fifth-year quarterback out of North Dakota State, Easton Stick. Stick has only appeared in one game so far in his NFL career, which shows how scary a proposition it is in the QB room if Herbert were ever to miss time during the regular season.
Stick is an athletic guy who has the ability to move around the pocket and be mobile. Obviously, the Chargers hope that he is able to take these preseason reps and take the next step behind Herbert.
The third quarterback on L.A.’s roster is an intriguing one. Los Angeles drafted Max Duggan of TCU in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Duggan was a Heisman Trophy finalist, and many around the team are intrigued by the rookie’s future potential.
With that said, the future of the Chargers rests in the hands of Herbert and will go as far as he is able to take them. Yet, Duggan acts as an excellent development project the team can work on in hopes of building a reliable long-term solution at the backup quarterback position.