Justin Herbert was clear during training camp that the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense would take time to develop at the start of the season.
However, since the bye week, the offense has started to find its rhythm and is looking more like what Chargers fans expect to see since Herbert was drafted sixth overall in 2020.
With a healthier Herbert and more practice time with his receivers, the team has improved its deep passing game. Heading into Sunday’s game against Cleveland, Herbert has thrown for 540 yards in the last three games on passes of 10 yards or more.
Since the Chargers’ Week 5 bye, Herbert is 22 of 36 on deep throws, a significant improvement from the first four games when he was only 8 of 24.
“I don’t think people understand the extent of what he was dealing with physically in the beginning part of the year,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.
“As he’s getting healthier, you can see what a difference it makes. Plus, every week he’s becoming more comfortable and taking ownership of what we’re doing. The last couple of weeks, we’ve only scratched the surface.”
Herbert missed two weeks of training camp due to an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot. Then, in a Week 2 win against Carolina, he suffered a high right ankle sprain that limited his movement in losses to Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Because of the ankle injury, Herbert also missed full team drills for two weeks.
If this had been Herbert’s second or third year in Roman’s offense, the time away might not have been as critical. But with a new system and a fairly inexperienced group of receivers, he had a lot to catch up on quickly.
“We had to change a lot of what we were doing to fit the situation,” Roman said. “You can’t really talk about it at the moment; you just have to do your best. But in the first year, it’s probably the worst situation you could face.”
The Chargers have stayed committed to a balanced offense this season. They’ve called passing plays 51.4% of the time, which is their lowest rate through seven games since 2007, when it was 47.8%.
Even with the receivers being less experienced, Herbert has not thrown an interception in his last five starts, which is the longest active streak in the league and one game away from the franchise record.
Tight end Will Dissly has made 13 of his 26 catches in the last two games. Ladd McConkey became the first Chargers rookie receiver since 2010 to have a game with 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Joshua Palmer, who started the season slowly, has six catches in the past two games, including a 45-yard reception last week.
Herbert could have another target this week, as DJ Chark is expected to play in his first game after missing two months due to a groin injury.
Herbert is also a threat as a runner. His 38-yard scramble late in the first quarter against the Saints helped the offense get back on track.
“I think everything is coming together slowly but surely. I know we had some hiccups and a few injuries, but you can see what we can do when Justin is healthy,” Palmer said. “Just the threat of him running the ball opens everything up.”
Coach Jim Harbaugh and Roman have emphasized a physical approach, but the best way to describe the offense’s identity might be flexibility. The unit has struggled with this in recent years, often relying heavily on passing plays.
“If we can do everything, whether it is running the ball or throwing it and having both options, that’s a threat by itself, and teams have to respect that,” Herbert said. “If we can reach that point as an offense, I think it opens up a lot of things.”
J.K. Dobbins ranks 10th in the league with 535 rushing yards and is making a strong case for Comeback Player of the Year after missing most of last season with an Achilles injury. Dobbins has averaged only 3.2 yards per carry in his last five games, but he has six carries of 12 yards or more.
The Chargers may need to rely more on the run game on Sunday against a Browns defense that allows the fifth-lowest completion percentage on throws of 10 yards or more (43.7%).
