Head Coach Anthony Lynn has been asked about Joey Bosa nearly every week of the season.
On Wednesday, he uttered the words Chargers fans have longed to hear.
Number 99 was returning to practice.
"Very excited (to see him out there)," Lynn said. "He's been around the whole time and he's been working on the side, but it's going to be nice to see him out there with his teammates in team drills."
However, just because he was on the field at Hoag Performance Center doesn't mean he'll be on ROKiT Field at StubHub Center come Sunday. The Bolts are wisely taking a wait-and-see approach before making any type of decision.
Still, Lynn kept open the possibility that Bosa could make his highly-anticipated 2018 debut vs. the Denver Broncos.
"He hasn't played football in 13 (or) 14 weeks, whatever it is," he said. "So we have to be careful putting him back in. (We've) got to get him back in slowly. If he does well in drills, and then maybe gets some team reps, (then) it is possible he could play some snaps (on Sunday)."
Bosa was officially listed as limited in his return to the field, marking his first practice since injuring his foot prior to the season opener.
Bosa is expected to address the media on Thursday, in which we'll learn how he felt in his much-anticipated return. However, just because he wasn't on the field for the first nine games doesn't mean he was out of sight. The defensive end attended every meeting and remained actively engaged.
"He's super engaged," said Isaac Rochell. "He's the type of guy who's locked in at all times. He still goes through the player reports and scouting reports. (Goes over) the game plan with us. So he's been very engaged."
Still, there's nothing like seeing number 99 back out there on the field.
"It's kind of been a long time coming," Rochell said. "It's been tough just seeing him having to go through all his rehab, so I'm excited to have him back. I think everybody else is. I think it will definitely add a lot. He has a significant role in this defense, so we're excited."
