EL SEGUNDO – Justin Herbert dropped back to pass during team drills on the final day of Chargers training camp Thursday. Quentin Johnston ran his designated route, turned and caught a flawless spiral ball from Herbert. This happened over and over again in the final practice before the final preseason game.
It was a fitting end to a week in which Herbert returned to practice after a two-plus week layoff with a right foot injury, throwing one excellent, accurate pass after another to a host of wide receivers, tight ends and running backs.
“Spectacular, unbelievable, I’m running out of adjectives to describe some of the throws Justin Herbert made all week,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said.
Johnston was the recipient of many of Herbert’s excellent throws, especially during practices on Wednesday and Thursday, when it seemed as though a bond had developed between them that had been missing while the quarterback was sidelined and Easton Stick, Luis Perez and Max Duggan worked with the first team.
In fact, it seemed to be a dramatic change from last season, Johnston’s first in the NFL after a standout career with Duggan at TCU. Herbert had long established relationships with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams before Johnston arrived as a first-round draft pick in 2023.
Allen and Williams are now gone. Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears and Williams was released before signing as a free agent with the New York Jets. Developing new favorite targets was one of Herbert’s many tasks during spring training and especially during training camp.
As it stands this week, Herbert has developed a close connection with Johnston. Such a thing would have been hard to imagine in the 2023 season, when Johnston caught a modest 38 passes for 431 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t seem like a trustworthy target for Herbert.
However, circumstances have changed for the better.
“(Johnston) has been steadily improving and going in a great direction,” Harbaugh said. “I think they know the offense better than they did six months ago, four months ago, and will know it better six months from now. You see a lot of pieces of the puzzle there.
“First of all, it’s him. He goes on offense. He’s really mentally strong, stays steadfast, goes to the meetings, the training and the drills. Great discipline, you know, football discipline, which to me is, ‘Can you do what you can do repeatedly?’ I definitely see Quentin going that route.”
EXTRA POINTS
Harbaugh said Stick will start and play the entire game in Saturday’s final preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. Harbaugh also said Perez will serve as Stick’s backup after the Chargers decided to release Duggan, a seventh-round pick in 2023. …
Injured edge rusher Joey Bosa worked out on the sidelines while his teammates went through their workouts. It was the first time reporters had seen him on the field since he suffered an apparent hand injury on Aug. 4. Harbaugh said he believed Bosa would be healthy enough to play in the season opener on Sept. 8. …
Safety Derwin James Jr. did not practice with his teammates this week. Harbaugh said James was “working through something” but declined to provide specifics. Harbaugh also said he expects James to be healthy enough to play in the opening game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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