Mike Pouncey's road back to the field has become much smoother.
The Chargers' Pro Bowl center told reporters Wednesday he's been cleared to play by the doctors who performed his neck surgery, per NFL Network's Omar Ruiz. Pouncey is still in his rehab process, but he's back to training normally and expects to be "full go" when players are allowed back on the field, Ruiz added.
Pouncey hasn't played football since Week 5 of the 2019 season, when a neck injury suffered in a game against the Broncos forced him onto injured reserve. Last campaign was only the second of his career in which he failed to play in at least 12 games.
The four-time Pro Bowl center is a key piece to Los Angeles' offensive line, especially with Tyrod Taylor taking over at quarterback in the short term and rookie Justin Herbert learning the ropes to become the team's face of the franchise at the position. When Pouncey was injured last year, it set off a chain of position swaps for an offensive line that was already missing its starting left tackle at the time.
Continuity will be paramount if the Chargers hope to return to the postseason. Such reliability begins with Pouncey.
