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Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

Chargers Slash Roster To 53

August 31st, 2019 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to the Chargers’ Russell Okung announcement, they finalized their 53-man roster.

Cardale Jones did not make the team, with Los Angeles going with Tyrod Taylor and rookie Easton Stick behind Philip Rivers. The XFL has openly mentioned Jones on multiple occasions, so the former Bills and Ohio State passer could be a high-profile candidate for the upstart league.

Here are the Bolts’ Saturday cuts:

Chargers Place Russell Okung On Reserve/NFI List

August 31st, 2019 at 3:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Russell Okung‘s Chargers season cannot begin until at least Week 7. The Bolts placed their starting left tackle on the reserve/NFI list, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Okung has been dealing with blood clots. A Chargers line that struggled down the stretch last season will now not have one of its anchors. This has obviously become a rather serious situation for Okung, a 2010 first-round pick, and it’s now conceivable he will not play this season.

Los Angeles has third-round rookie Trey Pipkins and second-year UDFA Trent Scott as backup options and could look to waivers for additional help.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old edge blocker made the 2017 Pro Bowl and has started 31 games with the Bolts since signing a lucrative contract in 2017. Okung’s four-year, $53MM deal has two years remaining. He is on the Los Angeles cap sheet at $15.9MM in 2019.

Chargers Give Melvin Gordon Permission To Seek Trade

August 31st, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

With contract talks between the Chargers and Melvin Gordon not progressing, the team will give the fifth-year running back permission to seek a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Gordon has not ruled out returning to the Bolts on his current contract, per RapSheet, but the Pro Bowl back will now explore his options elsewhere.

The running back has balked at the Bolts’ proposal to this point and has been training in Florida. Gordon can’t sit out the entire season — or at least, he can’t sit out the entire season if he wants to become a free agent next spring (which he does). If Gordon doesn’t report by November 29, he won’t be eligible to play during the 2019 campaign. At that point, his contract would toll: his $5.605MM salary would simply carry over to 2020, and he’d remain under the Chargers’ control.

The Chargers saw Austin Ekeler average north of five yards per carry last season, and the team drafted Justin Jackson in last year’s second round. This duo would be likely set for a timeshare if Gordon heads elsewhere. The next few days will give the former Wisconsin star a chance to determine his value. That process may well lead him out of Los Angeles, but it could also end his holdout — if the money from other teams is not to Gordon’s liking.

Russell Okung Will Miss At Least Week 1

August 30th, 2019 at 5:53pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Updates have been hard to come by on Chargers left tackle Russell Okung. Okung has been sidelined all offseason, and it’s never been clear exactly what is wrong.

Okung was placed on the NFI list last month with an undisclosed illness, and Chargers GM Tom Telesco said he had been dealing with a “pretty serious medical issue” since June. At the time it was reported that he could miss all of training camp, and that’s exactly what happened. Now we have confirmation that he’ll miss regular season time, as Telesco said recently that Okung will not be ready for Week 1, via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Further, Telesco said that he’d have “a better update on Okung’s health status in a couple weeks.” It sounds like there’s a good chance Okung isn’t back anytime soon. Obviously this isn’t good news for the Chargers, as they’re looking to follow-up on last year’s strong 12-4 campaign. Los Angeles has already dealt with some tough injury luck, as star safety Derwin James will be sidelined for a few months with a foot issue.

Okung signed a four-year, $53MM deal with the Chargers in 2017, and he made the Pro Bowl that year. He’s started 30 games for them the past couple of years, and his absence will be a huge downgrade to Philip Rivers‘ offensive line. The Chargers will now move forward with Sam Tevi, Trenton Scott, and Trey Pipkins as their top three tackles. None of them are particularly inspiring options.

Colts, Texans, Browns Lead NFL In Cap Space

August 29th, 2019 at 8:50pm CST by Ben Levine

On Tuesday morning, the NFL released a report of every team’s cap space. The total number accounts for the top-51 cap numbers on every team’s roster. Therefore, these numbers will naturally change before next week as teams set their 53-man rosters (although the 52nd- and 53rd-ranked cap numbers (and beyond) for each team will hardly change anything).

It’s also worth noting that there have been a handful of extensions, trades, signings, and cuts since this report was released. However, there weren’t any significant moves that would drastically alter these rankings.

Why are these numbers important at this time of year? Well, rosters will be trimmed on Saturday, meaning an influx of players will hit the open market. While we can’t imagine any roster casualties earning a lucrative contract from a new team, these numbers can help illustrate the monetary advantage one organization has over another. These numbers are also useful in regards to any potential trades or extensions.

With help from TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer on Twitter, we’ve listed the league’s cap space totals (as of Tuesday morning) below:

  1. Indianapolis Colts: $56.6MM
  2. Houston Texans: $37.0MM
  3. Cleveland Browns: $34.6MM
  4. Dallas Cowboys: $26.1MM
  5. Tennessee Titans: $26.0MM
  6. San Francisco 49ers: $25.5MM
  7. Buffalo Bills: $23.3MM
  8. Miami Dolphins: $22.1MM
  9. Chicago Bears: $22.1MM
  10. Washington Redskins: $21.7MM
  11. Detroit Lions: $21.5MM
  12. Kansas City Chiefs: $21MM
  13. Cincinnati Bengals: $19.7MM
  14. Seattle Seahawks: $19.5MM
  15. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.6MM
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars: $18.2MM
  17. Oakland Raiders: $17.3MM
  18. Los Angeles Chargers: $16.4MM
  19. Green Bay Packers: $15.2MM
  20. New York Jets: $14.9MM
  21. New England Patriots: $14.1MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $13.4MM
  23. New Orleans Saints $7.5MM
  24. Carolina Panthers $5.9MM
  25. Los Angeles Rams $5.6MM
  26. New York Giants $5.5MM
  27. Pittsburgh Steelers $4.9MM
  28. Minnesota Vikings $4.7MM
  29. Arizona Cardinals $4.7MM
  30. Denver Broncos $4.4MM
  31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4.3MM
  32. Atlanta Falcons $3.4MM

Latest On Chargers, Melvin Gordon

August 21st, 2019 at 2:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The holdout of Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is expected to continue into the season, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). At this stage, contract talks have not progressed as he hoped, and Gordon plans to train in Florida for the foreseeable future. 

Gordon can’t sit out the entire season — or at least, he can’t sit out the entire season if he wants to become a free agent next spring (which he does). If Gordon doesn’t report by November 29, he won’t be eligible to play during the 2019 campaign. At that point, his contract would toll: his $5.605MM salary would simply carry over to 2020, and he’d remain under the Chargers’ control.

Gordon has simultaneously said that he’d like to remain with Los Angeles and formally requested a trade. Meanwhile, “mounting pessimism” exists that Gordon and the Chargers will strike any sort of deal before the regular season gets underway. The Chargers are reportedly offering Gordon something in the neighborhood of $10MM annually, but the former first-round pick is looking for an additional $2-3MM per season.

Gordon, 26, has averaged 907 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground during his four-year career. He’s averaged 46 catches, 395 yards, and three scores via the passing game during that same timeframe. The Wisconsin product was named to the Pro Bowl in both 2016 and 2018.

Chargers To Sign Dontrelle Inman

August 20th, 2019 at 6:25pm CST by Rory Parks

The Chargers have signed wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). This will be a homecoming for Inman, who played for the Chargers from 2014-16 and for the first quarter of 2017 before the Bolts traded him to the Bears.

Inman, 30, became a free agent after the 2017 season and did not sign with a club until October 2018, when he joined the Colts. He caught 28 passes for 304 yards and three scores for Indy, and he added another eight grabs for 108 yards in the club’s two postseason contests. Advanced metrics were fond of his work, and he has always been a solid contributor when given the opportunity. His best season, which featured 810 yards and four TDs, came with the 2016 Chargers.

The UVA product signed with the Patriots in May but requested his release shortly after Josh Gordon was reinstated. He generated interest from the Lions and Jets, but Rapoport says the chance to reunite with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers ended up being the deciding factor. However, RapSheet says in a separate tweet that the Jets made a “very strong offer” to Inman, and that the veteran wideout was impressed with the New York outfit.

Inman should see a fair amount of action, especially if Keenan Allen — who is expected to miss the remainder of Los Angeles’ preseason slate — is forced to miss any regular season action. Even if Allen stays healthy, Inman currently looks like the No. 3 or No. 4 option on the Chargers’ WR depth chart.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/19

August 20th, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: OL Erik Magnuson
  • Placed on IR: OL Garrett McGhin (ankle)

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Chargers’ Derwin James To Miss Time

August 19th, 2019 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers safety Derwin James is scheduled to undergo foot surgery on Thursday, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). During the procedure, doctors will remove the screw that was inserted in James’ foot during his freshman year at Florida State and was bent last week. The recovery timetable will keep James out for at least the first half of the season, as he’ll need 3-4 months to bounce back. 

It’s a tough break for the Chargers as they’ll be without one of their most important defensive players for a good while. James started all 16 games for the Chargers last season after the team drafted him in the first round out of Florida State. He was a strong candidate for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie Of The Year award last season, notching 105 tackles while adding 3.5 sacks. Big things are still expected of him, but the Bolts will have to wait until November or December to see James make his impact.

James does a little bit of everything for the Chargers, including covering burly tight ends one-on-one and even chipping in at linebacker. In the interim, the Chargers may turn to Jaylen Watkins, Adrian Phillips, Adarius Pickett, or rookie safety Nasir Adderley to try and fill-in for the All-Pro safety.

Adrian Phillips Leader To Replace Derwin James

August 18th, 2019 at 6:51pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Derwin James‘ absence will test the Chargers, but it makes their March re-signing of Adrian Phillips all the more important. The sixth-year safety/All-Pro special-teamer made a big difference playing as a hybrid linebacker in the Chargers’ Round 1 win over the Ravens, and Eric Williams of ESPN.com notes he will receive first crack at replacing James. Phillips (94 tackles in 2018 before a two-turnover wild-card performance) started Sunday’s preseason game against the Saints.
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