Chargers QB Justin Herbert dismissed as not ‘first tier’ in coaches, execs poll

Let the latest round of quarterback rankings from polling NFL personnel tell it, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert isn’t in a top tier amongst his peers right now. 

The annual effort from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that polls executives, coaches, scouts and other personnel slots Herbert seventh, just ahead of Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions.

One NFC executive kept it balanced when explaining the ranking for Herbert by praising the other quarterbacks, but admitting the Chargers do him no favors: 

"The players above him [in the top 10] consistently create more off-schedule plays, are more dangerous in the two-minute [drill] and have won in the playoffs. The offense he currently plays in is by far the least QB-friendly in terms of the passing game, which doesn't help him. Justin can get there. He has the ability, so it should come in time."

Fair or not, it’s going to be hard to convince some Chargers fans and perhaps even non-Chargers fans that Herbert should be ranked below names like Matthew Stafford and Jayden Daniels right now. 

Some of that, again, comes from Herbert’s locale. The Chargers pre-Jim Harbaugh were a mess. And that playoff game with all the inteceptions last postseason was a good summation of things: Herbert spent a bulk of the season toughing through injuries with a bad interior line, wideout and tight end group, then tried to force it too much in a playoff game a rebuilding roster sbouldn’t have made in the first place.

If things indeed improve around Herbert, some of the leaguewide narratives will bump Herbert on annual polls. But for now, this year’s edition won’t stop any debates…it might just make them more heated.