With a little more than two weeks before the start of the regular season, Justin Herbert cleared a significant hurdle Monday.
The Chargers quarterback returned to the practice field and participated for the first time since July. Chargers social media happily posted a picture of Herbert in uniform throwing a pass during the Monday afternoon session:
Head coach Jim Harbaugh was beaming upon his quarterback's return.
"I thought I heard music," Harbaugh said. "Voices of angels maybe. It felt great."
Herbert has been sidelined since the start of August with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot, prompting the Chargers to proceed with caution throughout training camp and the preseason. With Herbert out, Los Angeles has been playing its preseason games with Easton Stick as their starter under center, and signed XFL/UFL standout Luis Perez less than two weeks ago to backfill their quarterback depth chart.
Neither Stick or Perez has given the Chargers much reason to feel good about their situation behind Herbert, but Los Angeles has not panicked, instead trusting their plan with Herbert. His return to practice Monday is not yet the all-clear sign Chargers fans are hoping for, but the start of a period in which they can be expected to ramp up Herbert in preparation for the regular season.
After battling through injuries to start 13 games before watching his season end prematurely due to season-ending surgery on his broken right index finger, health remains the top priority concerning the Chargers' franchise quarterback. They'll need him to be ready to go for Jim Harbaugh's first season at the helm in Los Angeles, and Monday was a positive step toward achieving that goal.
