Justin Herbert has been sacked, picked off, and left watching another winnable game slip away. Five weeks into the season, the Los Angeles Chargers are 0-5, and their franchise quarterback is taking heat for an offense that cannot seem to put everything together. Former Chargers cornerback Chris Harris Jr. has a different question for the people building the team: how much help has Herbert actually been given?
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His answer came in four blunt words on X: “Get my guy some help.”
Harris explained his frustration during an appearance on Up & Adams with Kay Adams. He did not argue that Herbert needed to abandon his current offensive system. Instead, he defended the quarterback’s ability to adapt while questioning whether the Chargers had surrounded him with enough proven talent.
“Justin is a quarterback that can really play in any system,” Harris said. “He doesn’t have a true No. 1 receiver.”
Harris specifically pointed to the offensive line, saying the Chargers had tried to address the position but injuries continued to disrupt the group. He also described the offense as unusually young, with Herbert himself becoming its “older statesman.”
The offensive-line concern is not hypothetical. Before the Chargers’ October 11 meeting with Denver, the Los Angeles Times reported that injuries to tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt had forced Los Angeles to rely on rookies. Four rookie offensive linemen started against the Broncos, leaving Herbert behind a unit with limited NFL experience.
The defeat that followed gave both sides of the argument fresh ammunition. Herbert completed 14 of 24 passes for 121 yards, threw one touchdown and one interception, and was sacked five times in the Chargers’ 23-17 loss. He also lost a fumble as Denver rallied from a 17-10 fourth-quarter deficit. Those turnovers were costly, and Harris’s defense of Herbert does not erase them. But the game also featured a depleted offensive line struggling to protect him.
Harris was just as direct when host Kay Adams brought up wide receiver Ladd McConkey. Harris acknowledged McConkey’s ability but argued that Herbert needs more reliable receiving options around him. McConkey has also dealt with injuries, making his availability a concern. In Harris’s view, the Chargers cannot expect one receiver to shoulder that responsibility alone.
Then came Harris’s proposed solution: “He needs a Jeremiah Smith. Give him a Ja’Marr Chase.”
Herbert, on the other hand, has not responded by publicly blaming his supporting cast. After the Denver loss, he took responsibility for a failed fourth-down attempt, saying:
“Got to find a way to get a yard, and I didn’t do that,” Herbert said. “It’s on me to go get a yard. I have complete faith in our guys and myself, and it’s on us to go get a yard and convert.”
The protection problem was already serious before the Denver game. Injuries sidelined starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, leaving the Chargers to start four rookies along the offensive line against the Broncos. The group included left tackle Logan Taylor, left guard Jake Slaughter, center Jacob Spomer, and right tackle Travis Burke.
The Chargers now have to decide how to respond, with the offensive line’s health and the offense’s production both demanding attention. Their next test comes against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 18 at Arrowhead Stadium, giving Herbert and the offense little time to let another costly loss fade.