Oregon tight end Patrick Herbert out indefinitely

The depth at tight end for Oregon has taken a hit. Mario Cristobal announced Monday that Patrick Herbert suffered a knee injury Saturday night in the opening scrimmage of the fall at Autzen Stadium and is out indefinitely.

The younger brother of former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, Patrick Herbert missed last year with a knee injury.

“As you guys probably saw, Patrick Herbert did sustain a knee injury and it’s a good knee injury” Cristobal said. “He’ll be down for a while. … But certainly going to miss Patrick, he was playing great football for us. After coming off of a knee injury, he had been playing really well. Just more physical, running routes really well — has always had great hands.

“Again, just after being here for a couple of years, he was getting accustomed to playing at a high level.”

What this means for Oregon

A third-year freshman, Herbert entered the spring as the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart and practiced with the first-team offense. He flashed his potential in the Ducks spring game with a pair of eight-yard catches.

The 6-foot-5, 248-pound tight end was the No. 1 prospect in the state of Oregon in the 2019 class. A top-10 ranked recruit at his position, he chose the Ducks over California, Florida, Nebraska, Oregon State and Penn State. Herbert has only played in one game in his Oregon career, appearing against Nevada in 2019.

After Spencer Webb, Herbert was the second tight end. Cristobal said Monday senior DJ Johnson has rejoined the team after missing the first week of fall camp. And super senior Cam McCormick has made some steady progress.

“Overall, the group has good depth and we feel good about them,” Cristobal said.

Quarterback battle brewing in Eugene

The No. 6 quarterback in the On3 2021 recruiting class rankings is already making his presence known for Oregon football. Ty Thompson, a 6-foot-4, 223 pound quarterback out of Arizona, won player of the game during the Duck’s first scrimmage Saturday. 

Anthony Brown is still expected to start for Oregon football at quarterback. He brings starting experience from Boston College, where he spent three seasons before transferring to Oregon last year. Brown has been expected to be the Ducks’ starter since threw two touchdown passes in Oregon’s 31-24 victory in the Pac-12 title game against USC.

“He was decisive tonight,” Cristobal said of Thompson. “When there was pressure he found his way out most of the time. Towards the end of the two-minute, he didn’t eat the ball. Sometimes a freshman will say ‘I don’t want to throw an interception,’ will eat the ball and now the clock is dead.”