The last time Joey Bosa took part in a padded practice was back in December as Ohio State prepared to face Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

Following a contract dispute and a minor hamstring ailment, the rookie defensive end donned pads for the first time as a member of the San Diego Chargers.  Although he was only a limited participant, Bosa was pleased with how his body reacted.

"It was awesome," he said.  "I haven't had pads on since the Fiesta Bowl so it's been a while.  But yeah, it feels great to be out there…. I wasn't full today.  I did individual (period) and a good amount of running and conditioning afterwards.  It's getting better.  (My hammy) felt really good."

Head Coach Mike McCoy added it was a significant step in Bosa's progression.

"It's the next step that Joey needed to make," he said.  "He had a little setback when he first got here, and he's been working hard to get back out there. So it was good to get him back on the field with everybody."

When Bosa makes his regular season debut remains to be seen.  Although the third overall pick says it's been "strange" to watch from the sideline, both he and the Bolts are determined to be smart about how they bring him along.

"It's a day by day kind of thing," he said.  "Of course I want to play.  Missing games is not what I wanted to do at all, but I've just got to look forward and try to get better every single day…. Today went really well.  I'm happy with how it ended.  Tomorrow, it's just one step at a time. We want to be safe with it because you never know.  You pull it again (and you may) miss the whole season or however many games.  It's better to be smart and treat it the right way than try to push anything."