The No. 97 jersey was a welcome sight back on the practice field this week.
Outside linebacker Joey Bosa, who hadn't been on the field since the joint session against the Rams on August 4, returned to the practice at The Bolt as the team continued their Week 1 prep.
Bosa said he suffered a broken hand near the end of the joint practice session that required surgery, but added he's feeling refreshed ahead of the season opener against the Raiders next Sunday.
"I'm feeling good," Bosa said Thursday. "My legs are good, I did a lot of work this offseason to be able to navigate the road bumps. That's kind of what it was.
"It was definitely unfortunate, but all in all it was really not a huge deal," Bosa continued. "Like I said, the work that I've been doing over the past however many months, it's been a lot of reps. You don't lose those things in just two weeks.
"Coming back, if anything, it was time off the body, less stress on my legs and let some things heal up," Bosa added. "Now I'm feeling ready to go."
Bosa mentioned the first couple days following the injury were "really rough" due to the level he had been playing at in that joint practice and throughout training camp up.
It was evident in the practice against the Rams as he and Khalil Mack wreaked havoc on the backfield, with Bosa's highlights being strip-sack and a tackle for loss.
However, he feels as if though his offseason preparations helped him get through this issue and return as he was able to pick up right where he left off this week in practice.
"Any injury sucks, but like I said, I put in a lot of work this offseason and I feel like my strength is coming back really fast," Bosa said. "I'm able to do everything in the weight room pretty much now and my strength feels totally fine.
"I've had a great three practices the last few days, flying around," Bosa added. "Conditioning needs work obviously, that kind of slips away a little fast, but just my legs, speed and all my power and my size has all stayed really consistent over the last few weeks. I'm feeling confident about how I'm going to perform, especially with another full week."
Check out the best photos from practice on Thursday at The Bolt in El Segundo
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.
Bosa has practiced this week with a club wrapped around his left hand, one which he said he "could be practicing without it right now" but there's no reason to rush it.
He added that while he can't give an exact number of days of how long he will wear it, he doesn't expect to wear it "very long."
"I think first day it was just feeling it, club and all, seeing how my body felt," Bosa said. "But yeah, the last couple days I've really been pushing it, trying to really run for the ball and get my conditioning.
"Always having that extra week to prepare for the first game is great," Bosa added. "Obviously we've been watching Vegas film and preparing, getting a primer for next week. For me, it was a lot just getting back into the rhythm of things and kind of just hitting the basics of what to expect next week."
The energy level is high throughout the team, and Bosa can't wait to see how it translates onto the field in just over a week.
He's got one thing on his mind entering Year 9.
"I just want to win games," Bosa said. "I don't know if there's one thing specifically, but I'm happy with how our room is looking, the edge group. I just want to go out there and finally put together one of those seasons as a team that's like we're serious. We've had some good years, but I just feel like we have a left a lot out there over the years."
Bosa later added: "I'm just excited, I can't really pick one thing that' I'm optimistic about. I just feel like we're playing with a lot of energy, and you saw that last weekend with the backups in there. I think that trickles up to everybody on the whole defense and whole team. I'm just excited, what I'm most optimistic about is seeing if what we feel is real and putting it to the test."
