Day 21 of Chargers Training Camp will be remembered for a long time.
The Chargers held a two-hour practice ahead of Saturday's preseason finale in Dallas.
Here is the Chargers Camp Report from Wednesday's practice:
1. Herbert dazzles at practice
Justin Herbert was on another level Wednesday.
Actually, it was more like he was on a different planet or in a different stratosphere.
The Bolts franchise quarterback was unreal Wednesday, his third practice back after returning from a foot injury.
Where to begin?
How about a sequence where Herbert threw touchdown passes on four consecutive plays, three of which came in the red zone.
The Bolts offense opened the drill at the 22-yard line. Herbert dropped back and scanned the field before lofting a perfect pass into the hands of Donald Parham, Jr. in the front right corner of the end zone.
The throw was one only Parham could catch as it was just over the outstretched arms of cornerback Cam Hart.
Then came a 14-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer and an 11-yard score to Derius Davis before Herbert and Palmer capped off the drill with an 8-yard touchdown.
Herbert was just getting started.
The Chargers then focused on third-and-long in the next practice period.
On third-and-12, Herbert found Quentin Johnson for a first down.
On third-and-10, it was a 40-yard connection with Palmer despite pressure from Frank Ginda.
On third-and-8, a strike over the middle to Parham for 10-plus yards.
On third-and-7, a zip to Luke Benson to move the chains.
Yeah, Herbert was feeling it Wednesday and even Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter was impressed.
"It's fantastic. Not a better thing for us defensively than having Justin on our team both now to practice and in games," Minter said. "I think 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.
"I think it's like iron sharpens iron so when the best guys are out there and you get to go against them, it makes everybody around him better," Minter added.
We haven't even covered multiple other practice periods where he picked apart the defense with apparent ease.
That included another third-down focused session where he fired a pair of first downs to Simi Fehoko and one each to Johnston and Palmer for a 4-for-4 showing.
Herbert also had another perfect third-down period when he fired first downs to Brenden Rice, Johnston and Palmer.
"You all have probably seen the throws he makes," rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey quipped after practice. "One of the best quarterbacks in the league. Super glad to have him back out there."
Overall, Herbert completed 25 of 29 passes in Wednesday's session.
McConkey said he's been a quick learner when lining up on the field with Herbert.
"You got to be ready any and every time. He can make any throw," McConkey said. "Even when you feel like you're not open, he can throw you open. Just be ready, that's what I feel like we all learned because he can fit it in there."
Minter said post-practice that what we saw in practice could be a glimpse into the future, too.
"I think he has a chance to have a magical year for us," Minter said.
2. Johnston shines at WR
If you paid attention above, Quentin Johnston was a frequent target of Herbert on Wednesday.
Their connection began in red-zone, 1-on-1 drills where Johnston caught a pair of touchdowns.
His first score came against Kristian Fulton on an out-breaking route as Johnston used his 6-foot-2 frame to shield the cornerback from the ball by the front left pylon.
Johnston then showed off his hops with an acrobatic, one-handed touchdown against Fulton where the wide receiver seemingly got four feet off the ground.
Herbert and Johnston were off sync a tad early in practice, but the wide receiver rebounded right away with a 4-yard touchdown catch in the following period.
He was a frequent target of Herbert on Wednesday, especially on third downs.
With camp wrapping up this week, it's clear that Johnston is a better and more refined player that he was at this point a year ago.
McConkey was also among the wide receivers who stood out on Wednesday.
He developed an early rapport with Herbert in the first team drill as the two had a pair of 20-plus yard connections.
It's bears repeating that McConkey could end up being one of Herbert's favorite targets throughout the 2024 season.
3. Notes from 1-on-1 drills
The Bolts spent an early portion of practice having wide receivers and tight ends go up against cornerbacks and safeties in the red zone.
Besides Johnston's two scores, Parham also hauled in a pair of touchdowns while Cornelius Johnson and Isaiah Wooden each had one.
Cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor starred on defense with a pair of touchdown denials in the end zone against McConkey and Davis. Asante Samuel, Jr. and A.J. Finley also tallied pass breakups in the drill.
In team sessions, Fulton and Daiyan Henley had interceptions against the reserve offenses.
