Chargers HC Brandon Staley: QB Justin Herbert becoming a better leader

There's little doubt that Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers is already one of the top young quarterbacks in the NFL. Per ESPN stats, Herbert finished the 2021 season third in the league with a 65.6 total QBR, second with 5,014 passing yards and third with 38 touchdowns through the air.

Herbert has all the physical tools needed to evolve into an All-Pro and a Most Valuable Player candidate, and head coach Brandon Staley recently told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated the 24-year-old is growing as it pertains to off-the-field attributes. 

"I’ll start with the intangible, where he fits in with his teammates and his place within our organization—the belief our players and the people of our organization have in him is as good as I’ve ever seen in any sport," Staley explained. "Our belief in him comes through who he is on a daily basis, and seeing him comfortable now. As a young player, it’s so difficult to find your voice, because you’re just trying to do your job well, you’re just trying to make it, you’re just trying to prove yourself. For him now, it’s being able to connect with our team.

"And I see him around his teammates, and those connections he’s made going on his third season—just with new players, brand new players to our team, and being comfortable doing that—and the connections he makes with people around our team who aren’t players. I see him making tremendous progress that way, leading our team. I thought he led fantastically last year, but I see a better Justin that way." 

The Chargers fell short of the playoffs in January and now share a division with Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos along with Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Las Vegas Raiders starter Derek Carr. As well as Herbert played throughout the 2021 campaign, he may have to take multiple positive career leaps beginning this fall if the Chargers are to qualify for the next postseason tournament.