Oregon Football Tight End Patrick Herbert Out With Knee Injury
Oregon tight end Patrick Herbert suffered a knee injury this past weekend that will sideline him for "a while," according to Mario Cristobal. Herbert had previously missed the entire 2020 season due to a knee injury, and he appeared in just one game in 2019 due to injury.
Cristobal told reporters Monday that the injury was a "good knee injury", but did not delve much further into the severity of it. Herbert had been playing well in fall camp and performed particularly well in the spring.
"We feel good about the depth there, but we're certainly gonna miss Patrick because he was playing great football for us coming off of a knee injury," Cristobal said. "He's just more physical, running routes really well, and he's always had great hands. But again, just after being here a couple of years, he was getting accustomed and playing at a high level."
The Ducks will have DJ Johnson and Cam McCormick back in the mix, along with Spencer Webb and true freshmen Terrance Ferguson and Moliki Matavao. Despite Herbert's injury, Cristobal and his staff are comfortable with the depth and talent at the tight end position.
Even though the Ducks have a solid group of tight ends that can fill in for Herbert, the news is still tough given his injury history and how promising his season appeared to be. In the spring, Herbert earned reps with the starters along with Webb. He said he had improved his footwork and that he was more of a blocker than a route-runner compared to when he arrived in Eugene.
Herbert looked ready to be a starting tight end for the Ducks and finally show Ducks fans the kind of player he is. At the same time, doors have opened for McCormick to make a significant impact after missing the last three seasons due to injury, as well as for the young guns, Ferguson and Matavao, to contribute right away.
Cristobal said Monday that after watching film of the scrimmage that the tight end group "really stood out."
"Without question, I think that tight end crew really stood out, and not just in the passing game, but in the run game as well."
Johnson was primarily the Ducks starting tight end last season along with Hunter Kampmoyer. If he gets up to speed after missing most of the offseason program, he and Webb could be in the lead for the starting tight end role.
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