Last year, in October, Emmanuel Acho blasted Justin Herbert left, right, and center on the 2nd & Short podcast. Calling him ‘not an elite QB‘, Acho later blamed the Los Angeles Chargers for portraying everyone in worse condition only to paint the QB in a better picture. The team was struggling with 5 wins and 7 losses. Then came the colossal blow! The signal-caller got injured and was out of the season. But the tides have turned this year.

This year, the QB has scripted a huge comeback. At least in the eyes of NFL coaches and executives, who voted for him among the Top 5 QBs in the league. The list is topped by Patrick Mahomes. Named in Tier 2 of The Athletic’s NFL Quarterback Tiers Ranking, the Chargers signal caller’s voting average increased by 0.2.

He led the team into playoffs in 2022, but they faltered in his absence in 2023. But 50 anonymous voters including 7 GMs, 8 HCs, 12 coordinators, 12 executives, 8 assistant coaches, and 3 involved in coaching/analytics still trust him. The team has also hired a new but innovative Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh. A hard taskmaster, he likes to pursue results from the first go.

In July last month, the medical team found a plantar fascia injury on his right foot. This month, he has looked fine during the practice drills. The Bolts need their QB back at the center. More importantly, in perfect fitness! Harbaugh was impressed by his quarterback. The coach said in his usual playful style, “He looked great with a capital G. No drop-off, pinpoint accuracy. He looked really good.”

After getting this boost, Herbert must be feeling high on confidence. He is establishing himself as the leader of the locker room in many situations.

Justin Herbert calmed teammates in an elevator incident

One day before the preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, the team met with an unfortunate experience. They were staying at The Westin Dallas Downtown Hotel. Around 12 players, including their QB, got stuck in their elevator. For 2 hours! Left without air conditioning, a few of them started getting nervous. However, like a big bro, he kept having calming conversations with them, which composed them. Later, the Urban Search and Rescue team evacuated the players.

Their HC was informed of this by rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still, who said, “Justin Herbert’s a leader.” One thing that blew the coach was his physique. While most players were sweating and took off their shirts, the QB’s shirt was completely dry. His hair was wet but otherwise, he looked like his usual self.

Now that Herbert is back, Harbaugh also has a mission. A Super Bowl! He missed it in his last tenure with the NFL. Can they reverse the situation this time? It wouldn’t take long to find out.