Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert ready for season opener

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is ready for the regular season, especially after an eventful training camp.

Mastering new tactics, a two-week layoff with a foot injury and then spending two hours in an elevator the night before the Dallas game made pre-season more exciting than it needed to be.

“It was a fun test. I definitely learned a lot and went through some things you don’t want,” Herbert said Wednesday as Los Angeles continued to prepare for Sunday’s opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Herbert said the injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot was the result of stress accumulation on the foot during offseason workouts and training camp, not a specific game. He said he doesn’t wear an arch or any extra support in his right shoe.

If the foot injury had occurred during the regular season, Herbert said he would have played anyway. But he hopes two weeks in an orthopedic boot and working with the training staff before and after practice will prevent the problem from getting worse.

“It’s full speed, no matter the situation. When you’re on the field, you don’t think about it,” Herbert said.

Herbert’s biggest concern is keeping the offense on track for the opener after missing valuable practice time during training camp.

The Chargers have at least six new starters on offense, with Trey Pipkins moving from right tackle to right guard. None of the four running backs were with the Chargers last year, and the wide receiver group is inexperienced.

Despite missing practice, Herbert believes watching film of his players and being on the field over the past two weeks has helped him make up for lost time.

“You do what you can to get yourself back on track and get going as quickly as possible. The coaches did a good job of making sure I didn’t miss too much,” he said.

Herbert has 1,613 passing yards and 17,223 passing yards, the most by any player through his first four seasons. Of his 25 games with 300 passing yards, four have come against the Raiders.

Since being hired as Chargers coach in January, Jim Harbaugh has been Herbert’s most vocal supporter. That was true before Wednesday’s practice, when Harbaugh praised Herbert’s leadership, including being the last of 12 players pulled off an elevator by Dallas firefighters after it got stuck.

“From Day 1, he was a rock in every way — the hardest worker, the tone-setter, the strategist, the executor,” Harbaugh said. “He’s probably the best leader I’ve ever been around, quarterback or otherwise.”

Notes: Wide receiver DJ Chark has a hip injury and was the only Chargers player who did not practice. Rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still was limited with a hip issue.