Former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Sean Merriman thinks football fans have yet to see the best of young quarterback Justin Herbert. According to Merriman, Herbert has already cemented himself as a quarterback to look forward to in 2022 and beyond.
When it's all said and done, there will be no Los Angeles Chargers franchise quarterback Justin Herbert. Instead, the legacy of the Oregon product may be defined by their selection by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In retrospect, the Miami Dolphins are kicking themselves to select former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, with perhaps the fifth overall pick in 2020. Herbert, a 6-foot-6 gunslinger from Oregon, was able to move and join in sixth overall. This move resulted in the Chargers.
Former Chargers linebacker Shaun Merriman is grateful for his team's recent success after nearly two years.
Justin Herbert has impressed former Chargers star Shawn Merriman.
Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021. Getty Images/Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times
In his second NFL season, Herbert had largely avoided the sophomore meltdown, completing 65.9% of his passes, throwing for 5,014 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He joined Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs as the only quarterback in the first two seasons of the NFL to reach the 5,000-yard mark.
Herbert impressed Merriman, who played alongside a young Philip Rivers in the late 2000s, despite missing the playoffs by a hair. In a recent interview with Sportscasting, the former All-Pro linebacker explained why the second-year quarterback has such a promising future.
"The scary part is we haven't seen the best of him yet because we don't know what he's capable of." We've seen numbers and such, but I can't believe we've seen him completely dominate a game so far. He's getting used to being a franchise guy, the face, and just being in that position, but when he really comes into his own, what he'll be able to do is downright terrifying. ,
Sean Merimani
Herbert threw five more interceptions in 2021 than in 2020, but he conceded nearly 700 yards and seven touchdowns in two additional games.
Merriman has every right to be curious about Herbert's next move.
The biggest knock on Herbert right now is that, unlike Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, he has yet to make the playoffs. Perhaps Herbert and teammates would have turned Burrow's Bengal into the AFC team of fate if Chargers head coach Brandon Staley hadn't called a timeout late in Week 18.
Without their young quarterback, the Chargers may not have progressed as far as they did in 2021, and that's not an exaggeration. Throughout the season, Herbert cemented his reputation as one of the league's best youth quarterbacks, cracking opposing defenses.
Herbert's most remarkable quality is that, despite his youth, he is oblivious to headlines or situations. In Week 3, he led the Chargers to road wins against Mahomes and the Chiefs. Despite trailing on 15 points with more than eight minutes remaining in the Week 18 finale, Herbert arranged for two late-scoring drives and forced overtime.
What could Herbert achieve in 2022 if he was able to achieve so much in his first two seasons?
The Chargers have already established themselves as a team to watch in 2022, with Herbert leading the way.
I spoke with @Chargers star QB JustinHerbert about his glorious Year 2 just before Pro Bowl practice, how he used the "pain" of losing to the Raiders in a win-or-go-home finale game to fuel this season. As did, and his chance to tie up Patrick Mahomes for his longest throw of the year. pic.twitter.com/yB4t0pIeiW @NFLNetwork @NFLMediа
— Cameron Wolfe (@CаmeronWolfe) February 3, 2022
In the post-Tom Brady era, the AFC has already changed dramatically. The Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans have made a name for themselves as teams that aren't going to fade away anytime soon. Burrow and the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl in the third year of rebuilding that began after Marvin Lewis was fired after the 2018 season.
Is it possible that the Chargers join the league's elite? The team already knows who their quarterback is, so any optimism should be reinforced.
After losing three of their final four games and missing out on the playoffs this season, Herbert and the Chargers know they'll have a lot to prove next year. The chip on his powder-blue shoulder could go a long way towards re-establishing his place among AFC contenders.