Justin Herbert did not practice on Friday and instead worked part-time for rehab at UNC Charlotte.
The Chargers quarterback is classified as questionable for the away game on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Herbert, who said he is dealing with a severe ankle sprain, added Friday that his status is “undetermined” before Week 3.
“Every day it gets better,” Herbert said. “It’s just about getting to a point where you feel comfortable getting out there and moving.”
“It’s a fast game out there. It’s just about protecting yourself, moving around and managing all those things,” Herbert added.
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh added: “Justin is doing whatever it takes to be able to play on Sunday.”
Herbert suffered a right plantar fascia injury during training camp, but said Friday that the injury is in the past and his ankle sprain will not affect it.
Herbert said his biggest focus is managing the pain in his ankle while also making sure he has enough mobility in the pocket.
“It’s not good,” Herbert said. “It is what it is, and it’s about getting treatment, taking care of it, making sure it’s as good as it can be, and doing everything I can to reduce the swelling and the pain and just making sure things move forward.”
He later added, “It was tight, but I did everything I could to control the swelling and make sure I felt stable. First and foremost, the whole ankle has to be stable when I put on a cleat or shoe and go out there. Especially when you’re playing quarterback and being able to move your feet, move around, step up. Do all the things a quarterback has to do.”
Herbert noted that current treatment includes “icing, compression, just making sure I don’t put my feet up, doing whatever I can to control the swelling and reduce the pain.”
He added: “Whatever it takes to get moving, to run, to try it out and make sure I’m ready to go.”
Herbert did not train on Wednesday, but was limited on Thursday. He also did not train on Friday.
When asked how much he worked in practice this week, Herbert said, “Not much. Thrown the ball a little bit. Did some rehab today, did everything I could, but I’ll just see how it feels and go from there.”
Harbaugh said Herbert’s training status on Friday was “exactly what was prescribed by the medical experts, trainers and doctors.”
If Herbert is unable to play, either Easton Stick or Taylor Heinicke would be considered as starters, but Harbaugh did not name a possible starter.
Herbert said he hopes it will be his decision whether to play or not, but praised the Chargers medical staff for their work and dedication this week.
“Luckily, we have a great coaching staff, a coaching team that all works so well together and communicates with each other,” Herbert said. “I think they’ve always been so understanding and helpful.”
“I would never step on a pitch that I wasn’t comfortable on,” added Herbert, who has battled a variety of injuries over the past two seasons. “Whether it was ribs or broken fingers, I’ve always felt comfortable and ready and prepared to go out there. So I know we’ll go through the same process and see what comes out of it.”
