Chargers QB Justin Herbert Working Towards Adding a New Layer to His Game With the Help From C Corey Linsley
COSTA MESA – Justin Herbert is about as polished as they come for a third-year quarterback. Yet, his work ethic to continue improving as he looks to push the Chargers into the postseason for the first time since 2018, is undoubtedly one of his top characteristics.
Herbert shared at the start of OTAs that he spent the offseason focusing on cleaning up his footwork. Throughout training camp, he's regularly stayed after practice to get in more throws.
But aside from what Herbert has been working to enhance physically, he's also incorporating more of the mental side of the game into his arsenal.
Herbert is developing a stronger variance in which he uses his cadence during pre-snap. He believes it's another added layer to his game that will offer the team an upper hand.
"He’s changing up the cadences a little bit, so that’s one way to see that he’s being more comfortable," Keenan Allen said of Herbert. "Just taking advantage of everything. You see him. He stays like an hour-and-a-half after practice just throwing balls. It’s crazy.”
Herbert credits Corey Linsley for assisting him with his cadence. Linsley, who's entering his second season as Herbert's center, spent seven years in Green Bay with Aaron Rogers. As a member of the Packers, Linsley and Rodgers' cadence communication became a staple in the NFL for getting defenders to jump offsides.
“I think it is really important for a quarterback because it’s another level of the game that you can kind of take advantage of the defense," Herbert said on the importance of having a good cadence. "Having Corey, especially where he’s from and all of the things that they did over there, he’s got a great feel for it. He’s been on me about that and the offensive line. They love that when they get a jump on the defense, or maybe those guys are jumping offsides. Any free play that we can get, I think it’s a huge help for our offense.”
While it will serve as a benefit to the Chargers if they're able to accumulate free plays when defensive players jump across the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped, it's also critical that the Chargers offense doesn't fall for Herbert's hard count.
Allen said for receivers there's not much that changes. They're looking for the ball to be snapped before beginning their route. He also stated that some of the veterans, such as himself and Mike Williams, have some level of familiarity with the cadence changing because Philip Rivers played with the snap count often.
For Herbert, there's not just one way of improving this part of his game. It's a combination of watching other signal-callers across the league and learning from Linsley's experience.
“It’s probably a little bit of both," Herbert said when questioned if he can watch tape on changing cadences or if he listens to Linsley about examples. "I think Corey has got a great feel for that, and so we’ve picked up a lot of the cadences that they used over in Green Bay.
"But at the same time, maybe watching the TV copies of the Green Bay games and watching Aaron Rodgers, seeing all of the different cadences that he has so that we’re able to pick up on some of those.”
Herbert finished last year with the second-most passing yards (5,014) and the third-most passing touchdowns (38). If he's able to net additional free plays by changing his cadence, the offense could take another step forward in Herbert's third season.
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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.
