Justin Herbert's injury isn't a long-term concern for Chargers in AFC West

The Los Angeles Chargers are nearly ready to close another disappointing chapter in the team's history as the Brandon Staley era comes to an end after Week 18 is finished at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

At this stage, the Chargers are ready to make another early selection in the 2024 NFL Draft under a new leadership consortium that's yet to be hired. The Chargers brass will be busy interviewing candidates for both general manager and head coach after the team rid itself to Tom Telesco and Staley, respectively.

While the Chargers have a lot of questions to answer this offseason, quarterback is not one of them—injured or not.

The good news for the Chargers is that they have things figured out at the most important position with the presence of quarterback Justin Herbert. Yet even at QB, there are questions after watching Herbert suffer a season-ending finger injury earlier this year. But what does that mean for Herbert going forward? And will Herbert be okay?

We recently asked our friend Jason Reed, editor of Bolt Beat, to bring us up to date on where Justin Herbert is at as the Chargers season draws to a close.

Any updates on how Herbert is feeling at this point?

Justin Herbert keeps everything close to the vest—literally hiding his fractured finger in his jacket pocket when he is on the sideline. From everything we have heard, Herbert's finger surgery was successful and there should be no problems in the future. Based on how the team handled the injury when it happened, I would not have been surprised if Herbert would have been available for the playoffs if the Chargers were actually in that position.

Do you have any long-term concerns about Justin Herbert’s health or anything related to this injury?

No, not particularly. If the 2023 season has shown us anything it is that injuries are more common than we realize in the NFL, especially at the quarterback position. Herbert fracturing his index finger on his throwing hand was a fluke injury above all else, and isn't something that has lingering effects like a receiver tearing their Achilles.

Herbert hadn't missed a game since becoming the starter prior to this injury and if the team was in contention, they probably would have pushed it a tad with his return date. But with the season all but over, it made sense to just shut Herbert down. Absolutely no long-term concerns.