Chargers News: Justin Herbert, Quentin Johnston Shine in Practice

Herbert and Johnston went off in practice.

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

In his third practice back from a plantar fascia injury to his right foot, quarterback Justin Herbert threw four touchdowns on four straight pass attempts while completing 25 of his 29 pass attempts, per Chargers.com's Eric Smith. The fifth-year quarterback lit up the practice field, hitting receiver Joshua Palmer on two touchdowns and also throwing touchdowns to Derius Davis, Donald Parham Jr., and Quentin Johnston.

#Chargers QB Justin Herbert just threw TDs on 4 consecutive passes in full-team drill.

He hit Palmer twice along with Parham and Davis.

🔥🔥🔥

— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) August 21, 2024

Herbert's performance left the Chargers coaches and players sitting in awe of their starting quarterback. It's no wonder head coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week that he "heard music, voices of angels maybe," after Herbert's initial return Monday.

Herbert reminded the team exactly what they had missed through the two weeks he was out of practice. Herbert, who was injured on July 31, had been wearing a walking boot until this weekend. Just days after getting out of a boot, Herbert was back to throwing multiple touchdowns in team drills.

"He's the elite of the elite, so it makes everybody better, it makes our offense function at a higher level, it makes our defense have to function at a higher level," defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said Tuesday.

herbo was slingin' it today pic.twitter.com/jEcYDb3aaw

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 21, 2024

"He is unbelievable," Minter added. "He is as good as it gets in this league ... I think he has a chance to have a magical year with what our coaches will do with him on offense."

Another standout from Wednesday's practice was wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Johnston, the Chargers' first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been under scrutiny after he largely struggled through his rookie season, catching just 38 passes for 431 yards. The scrutiny continued through the preseason this summer as the second-year receiver had been seen dropping passes in earlier practices.

One of Quentin Johnston’s best catches today here pic.twitter.com/4nQdvAKuNM

— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 21, 2024

Johnston shook off some of the doubts Wednesday as he leaped sky-high to haul in a one-handed touchdown pass. Johnston was the recipient of several Herbert passes throughout practice, showing a connection between the two players. With receiver D.J. Chark currently out of practice the past two days, Johnston should have more opportunities to connect with his quarterback and bring in more passes.

More Chargers:

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Chargers' Jim Harbaugh Provides Optimistic Outlook on Justin Herbert's Week 1 Status