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Joey Bosa looks 'ready to roll' in return to Chargers

After a nasty holdout that left both Joey Bosa and the Chargers in an ugly place with each other, the first-round pass rusher finally returned to practice on Tuesday.

So how did he look?

"It was great to get him here," coach Mike McCoy said, per the team's official website. "We couldn't wait to get him here, and he looked as expected (which is) in shape, (and) ready to roll."

Said McCoy: "(He's) a guy who loves to play. The energy, the passion he comes to work with every day. He was that way all day yesterday either in the weight room, in the meetings (or) no matter where it was. You go out there and see it when he goes through individual drills. He looked like the way he did when he left."

After finally signing his rookie deal -- a four-year, $25.8 million contract packed with a $17 million signing bonus, the largest upfront installment in team history -- Bosa acknowledged it was "nice actually getting to run some plays."

"It's just going to take a little bit of time to get back in the rhythm of things and get all the plays," said the No. 3 overall pick. "I spent some extra time with coach yesterday, and I'm going to spend extra time with him today and I'm sure throughout the rest of the week to get up to pace."

Tuesday's session was a non-contact practice, meaning Bosa hasn't toiled in pads since his final game with Ohio State on New Year's Day. His former Buckeyes teammate, linebacker Joshua Perry, doesn't believe that will be an issue.

"Joey came back ready to roll like he said he would. Guys received him well," Perry said. "We're all excited to have him back. I'm looking forward to building the bond like we did back in school together. But he looked like Joey today."

Veteran Corey Liuget described Bosa as not "really saying much because he's still a rookie, so he is feeling his way through things," but noted: "We could tell that he definitely had been working out while he was away. That was obvious. He was in good shape."

If Bosa hits the ground running, prepare yourself for a flood of hot takes about the fact that training camp, ultimately, is a meaningless exercise.

That isn't the case, but Bosa was drafted for what he displayed on film at Ohio State: The unmistakable and unusual traits of a dominant quarterback-destroyer who very well could make a difference right away -- holdout or no holdout.

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