Organized Team Activity practices are off and rolling at The Bolt.
The Chargers held their first voluntary OTA practice of the offseason Tuesday afternoon, donning helmets and shorts for the two-hour session.
OTAs mark the start of Phase Three in the voluntary offseason program. Phase Three consists of a maximum of 10 OTA practices where teams can run 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Live contact is not allowed.
Here are three observations from the Chargers first OTA practice:
1. Herbert, McConkey in midseason form
Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey were among the league's top quarterback-wide receiver duos in 2024.
The pair picked up right where they left off as they connected on perhaps the best offensive play of the practice.
The Chargers spent the final team period Tuesday focusing on third downs with the first-team offense and defense going against each other.
Herbert started the drill by finding Jaylen Johnson on a sliding catch to move the sticks on third-and-8. Herbert then found Quentin Johnston for a first down on third-and-7.
Then the magic happened, as Herbert lofted a deep pass to McConkey down the left sideline on third-and-5. McConkey then bobbled the ball to himself with Tarheeb Still and Alohi Gilman and coverage before securing the acrobatic catch.
Now, it's worth noting that since contact isn't allowed, perhaps the play turns out differently in full pads. But on this day, the first down highlighted the rapport between the quarterback and wide receiver that we saw plenty last season.
The defense got the upper hand on the final play as Teair Tart knocked Herbert's pass down at the line of scrimmage.
The second-team offense then took the field with Taylor Heinicke and Trey Lance splitting reps.
Heinicke hit first-down completions to Brenden Rice and Tre' Harris before Lance found Johnston for a first down. Lance's final pass was complete but short of the sticks.