Justin Herbert is set to play the first preseason football of his career this weekend against the Rams, coach Jim Harbaugh announced on Thursday.
As it turns out, the move was his idea.
"It was actually me going to [Harbaugh] and saying, 'Hey, would it be OK if I went in and played?' Because I think in years past the plan was to rest," Herbert told Eric Smith in a story for the Chargers team site. "But I wanted to go out there and feel the pass rush because in practice, as a quarterback, you don't always get the true feeling of the pass rush.
"It's important to see a pass rush and get a feel for getting the ball out and just seeing a game before you actually play [in the regular season]," he said.
Herbert’s career being preseason-free thus far is mostly a matter of odd timing. His rookie season came in 2020, when there was no preseason football due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By the time the 2021 preseason rolled around, Herbert was the Chargers unquestioned starting quarterback, and head coach Brandon Staley was against playing his starters in exhibition football.
Now Herbert will get the chance to see some live reps before Week 1 for the first time in his career. It won’t be much—Harbaugh said he planned on giving Herbert "a series, could be two"—but it’s clear that even that much playing time was viewed as an important opportunity for preparation for the quarterback heading into the season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Justin Herbert Says He Asked Jim Harbaugh for Chance to Play in Preseason.
