Report: Chargers' Justin Herbert Unlikely to Miss Time with Fractured Finger Injury

Los Angeles Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert suffered a fractured finger on his left hand in the team's 24-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport added the injury isn't expected to sideline Herbert for any time.

While Herbert started all 17 games last season, he played through a fracture to his rib cartilage for much of the year after suffering the injury in Week 2. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said earlier this offseason that Herbert's resilience last year earned him "the ultimate respect."

Despite the injury, Herbert threw for 4,739 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 68.2 percent of his passes. However, he was on an absolute tear before he got hurt with 613 yards and six touchdowns in the first two weeks alone.

The Chargers managed to make the playoffs for the first time in four years in 2022, but they were disappointingly bounced in the AFC Wild Card Round after blowing a 27-point lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Still, Herbert was rewarded with a five-year contract extension worth $262.5 million.

Los Angeles mostly kept the band together for the 2023 season, with its most significant change being replacing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi with Kellen Moore, who held the same position with the Dallas Cowboys for the past four years.

Any absence by Herbert would be significantly detrimental to the Chargers offense. The only other quarterback on the active roster is Easton Stick, who's completed one pass since the Chargers drafted him in the fifth round in 2019. Rookie Max Duggan, who was a seventh-round pick, is on the practice squad.