The Chargers have gone without injured linebacker Denzel Perryman for almost the entire season, but a return is on the horizon. The team plans to open Perryman’s practice window this week, head coach Jim Harbaugh announced (via Kris Rihm of ESPN). When that becomes official, the Chargers will have 21 days to activate Perryman from injured reserve.
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The Chargers won their season opener over the AFC West rival Chiefs in Brazil on Sept. 5, but they lost Perryman to a high ankle sprain after he took just eight defensive snaps. While the team went on to a 3-0 start without Perryman, it has since dropped back-to-back games to the Giants and Commanders to fall to 3-2.
Thanks to their two-game skid, the Chargers now own the same record as the division-rival Broncos. The reigning AFC champion Chiefs could join those two as the division’s third 3-2 club if they pull out a road win over the Jaguars on Monday.
With Perryman out of commission, Troy Dye has taken over as a starter at linebacker alongside Daiyan Henley. Dye, mostly a backup for the Vikings and Chargers from 2020-24, has totaled 36 tackles and a sack this year. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranks his performance a respectable 30th among 74 qualifiers at his position.
At the very least, the Chargers seem to have a capable fallback option in Dye, which is important in light of Perryman’s extensive injury history. Along with already missing four full games in 2025, Perryman sat out either five or six contests in each of the previous three seasons. The 32-year-old has missed at least two games in all 11 of his NFL seasons since the Chargers chose him in the second round of the 2015 draft.
After stints with the Raiders and Texans, Perryman reunited with the Chargers before the 2024 campaign. He picked up 55 tackles and a sack in 11 games last season, leading the Chargers to re-sign the former Pro Bowler to a a one-year, $3.65MM deal in March.