Justin Herbert takes biggest step yet in injury recovery, returns to Chargers camp

LA Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was placed in a walking boot over two weeks ago with a plantar fascia injury that could have threatened his regular-season availability. Plantar fascia injuries can be tricky and can linger longer than expected.

During the onset of the injury, the Chargers maintained that Herbert would be available for the start of the regular season. However, the idea of Herbert playing on a compromised plant foot that was in pain was still worrisome for Chargers fans who had to watch Herbert play injured the last two years.

Thankfully, the walking boot came off on schedule at the two-week mark and Herbert then made an even bigger stride on Monday. That star quarterback returned to practice and did not look like he missed a step at all.

Justin Herbert returning to Chargers practice is great for his injury timeline

The Athletic's Daniel Popper posted several videos of Herbert practicing without pads, one of which included him doing a regular dropback with his usual elite footwork. If you did not know Herbert was dealing with a foot injury you would have no idea he was hurt as he was moving at full speed.

This is all great news for Chargers fans who may finally be able to put their concerns to bed. While there was always the optimism that Herbert would be ready for the start of the regular season, Chargers fans had every right to be worried for the first.

The Chargers have never been a team that gets good injury luck and even if Herbert played, his production could have been significantly impacted by the pain in his foot. There was also the possibility of Herbert tearing his plantar fascia and making it worse, which is what Antonio Gates did in 2010.

Herbert is back in action and appears to be pain free. With just under three weeks until the first game of the season, Herbert has plenty of time to get back to speed for the start of the regular season. If there were any lingering issues with his foot, the Chargers would have been cautious and would not have trotted him out so early.

Herbert and the Chargers are not completely out of the woods yet but this is the ultimate step in the right direction for the franchise. All of the worry from the last several weeks may ultimately have been for nothing.

However, the team still needs a better backup quarterback just in case.