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The widespread belief has been that Jim Harbaugh would bring a more run-heavy scheme to the Los Angeles Chargers, perhaps impacting—at least in the short term—Justin Herbert’s fantasy upside.
That was compounded when the team lost its top two receivers, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, this offseason.
But there is another perspective—that Harbaugh’s offense could take Herbert to the next level.
“I think Harbaugh might finally unlock him, with more emphasis on the run to support him,” an NFL personnel director told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “Sure, he’s got to play bigger in some big games. But he’s going on, what, his fourth different coordinator? It’s not always his fault they’ve struggled.”
In his four seasons, Herbert has been a Pro Bowler once, thrown for over 30 touchdowns twice, exceeded 4,000 passing yards three times, went over 5,000 passing yards once and has thrown double-digit interceptions three times.
He’s shown flashes of being one of the elite players at the position, but there’s been just enough inconsistency to keep him out of that top tier. Perhaps Harbaugh will take him to that next level.