On Monday, Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said he “heard the voices of angels” when superstar QB Justin Herbert returned to practice. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said he didn’t hear the angels but heard something. However, anyone who didn’t hear those voices on Monday did during Justin Herbert’s masterful practice on Wednesday.
In his third practice after suffering an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot in July, Herbert went 25-29 passing with no interceptions and five touchdowns. On top of this impressive stat line, one of his incompletions was because Brenden Rice slipped a route where he would’ve been met with a perfectly placed ball. Another incompletion on Wednesday was dropped by Quentin Johnston.
Aside from these mistakes, the pass-catchers looked leagues better than they did with Easton Stick and the rest of the QB room at the helm. Specifically, Quentin Johnston, who has been criticized for his inability to make simple receptions at times, brought in seven catches from Herbert on Wednesday. This is exactly what Harbaugh and the coaching staff had hoped for. With a Quarterback as elite as Herbert, a collection of decent receivers can be enough for the team to contend.
Another blessing for the coaching staff is the perfect timing of Herbert’s return.
With a little less than a week, until the roster has to be cut down to 53 players, they get a look at how each receiver looks with their actual QB throwing them the ball. After a few practices with Justin Herbert, the staff may find it easier to swallow cutting a receiver if he doesn’t look good in what will effectively be their offense this season.
One thing worth noting is how this performance was against the reserve defense. However, this roster is as deep as it gets and many players currently considered reserves may be starters at some point this season. Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter also said playing against Justin Herbert will be very effective in improving the way the defense functions. Iron sharpens iron, and going against one of the world’s best quarterbacks can improve the young defensive players (and defensive coordinator) better than anything else.
Of course, there is still a while until the regular season starts and the Chargers face off against the division-rival Raiders. By the time week one arrives, Justin Herbert will only be more healthy and less rusty. That leads to the most impressive part of the QB’s Wednesday performance. That reason is how multiple people who attend every practice said this is one of the best practices they’ve seen from Herbert. Keeping in mind the fact he is days removed from wearing a walking boot from his injury, a truly healthy Justin Herbert can outperform any expectations anyone has of him going into this season.