Shocking Justin Herbert stat hints Chargers made bigger upgrades than expected

Los Angeles Chargers fans know all too well that Justin Herbert didn’t get a lot of help from his weapons last year, at least beyond the rookie breakout from Ladd McConkey. 

Names like Josh Palmer and first-rounder Quentin Johnston simply didn’t take leaps despite Keenan Allen and Mike Williams departing the franchise in the first year of Jim Harbaugh as head coach. 

But how bad things were around Herbert goes beyond simple stats. 

For example, NFL analyst Warren Sharp recently dug last season’s highest rate of incompletions due to wide receiver errors. Herbert’s receivers checked in at 20 percent, the third-highest mark in the NFL. 

And it somehow gets worse. According to Sharp, 48 percent of Herbert’s fourth-quarter incompletions during losses were due to wideout error. Both Johnston and Palmer ranked outside the top 100 amongst receivers in this category.

It’s yet more staggering justification for the Chargers to attempt a position revamp around McConkey this offseason. Johnston is still around on the chance he can put the drop issues behind him and play a bigger role while living up to first-round potential, yes. 

But playing time for anyone not named McConkey isn’t a guarantee. Williams is back and has that connection with Herbert already. But if second-rounder Tre Harris can come in and adapt quickly, he’ll get the nod in the base offense for the majority of the snaps. 

While fans wanted a major DK Metcalf-like move from the Chargers this offseason, these types of stats sort of show why even smaller upgrades for the sake of sheer consistency could produce bigger-than-expected results.