Justin Herbert is set to play the first preseason football of his career this weekend against the Rams, coach Jim Harbaugh announced on Thursday .

As it turns out, the move was his idea .

"It was actually me going to [Harbaugh] and saying, 'Hey, would it be OK if I went in and played?' Because I think in years past the plan was to rest," Herbert told Eric Smith in a story for the Chargers team site. "But I wanted to go out there and feel the pass rush because in practice, as a quarterback, you don't always get the true feeling of the pass rush.

"It's important to see a pass rush and get a feel for getting the ball out and just seeing a game before you actually play [in the regular season]," he said.

Herbert's career being preseason-free thus far is mostly a matter of odd timing. Hi

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