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Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

Latest On Chargers TE Hunter Henry

September 15th, 2018 at 10:18am CST by Ben Levine

Less than four months after tearing his ACL, Hunter Henry is already taking major steps in his recovery process. Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that the Chargers tight end was seen “sprinting with a large brace” on Friday. This comes after Henry participated in a light workout with his teammates.

After hauling in 81 catches for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns through the first two seasons of his career, Henry was ready for a breakout campaign in 2018. With Antonio Gates out of the picture, the 2016 second-round pick was ready to become one of Philip Rivers‘ favorite targets in the passing game. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old suffered a torn ACL during a non-contact play on the first day of the Chargers’ organized team activities. It was assumed at the time that Henry would have to sit out the entire 2018 campaign.

That still might be the case, but Henry seems to be recovering quickly. While head coach Anthony Lynn noted that the tight end “took it to another level” this past week, general manager Tom Telesco previously cautioned that it was more likely Henry returned in 2019 than 2018. Henry is currently sitting on the PUP, meaning he could be activated after sitting out the first six weeks.

The team also seen speedy ACL recoveries in the past. As Wang points out, pass rusher Melvin Ingram returned to the field six months after suffering the injury in 2013. That’s usually the minimum recovery time required for a torn ACL, and it’s not uncommon to see players sit out 12 months. Either way, considering the progress Henry has already made, the tight end could logically return to the field before the end of the regular season. At the very least, it’s telling that the organization hasn’t completely rejected the idea.

The Chargers ended up re-signing Gates to pair with Virgil Green and Sean Culkin. If Henry returns, he’d slide into a lethal offense that also includes running back Melvin Gordon and wideouts Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

Joe Barksdale Out For Bolts In Week 2

September 14th, 2018 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • As expected, Joey Bosa is out for the Chargers-Bills game Sunday. Right tackle Joe Barksdale won’t suit up, either, ESPN’s Eric Williams tweets. A knee injury’s affecting Barksdale. Sam Tevi is likely to start for the Bolts at right tackle. Second-year defensive end Isaac Rochell replaced Bosa as a starting defensive end last week.

Owners Upset At Spanos For Moving Bolts?

September 13th, 2018 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Beginning their second year in Los Angeles, the Chargers are in an interesting spot. They have perhaps as talented a roster as they’ve possessed since their late-2000s run of AFC West titles but play in a soccer stadium and carry likely the NFL’s smallest fan base. The NFL gave Dean Spanos the option of leaving San Diego for L.A. in 2016, and he exercised it once the Bolts’ bid to secure public funding for a downtown stadium failed. But some owners were disappointed Spanos took the league up on the San Diego exit strategy, author Mark Leibovich writes in his new book, “Big Game: The NFL In Dangerous Times” (via Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Some of the owners were displeased with the efforts he put forth to land a new stadium deal in San Diego, Leibovich writes, adding this contingent of power brokers were “miffed” the Chargers owner turned the situation into “a towering embarrassment.”

This is an interesting stance considering the NFL gave the Chargers L.A. dibs before the Raiders, but now that the Bolts moved, they don’t appear to be thriving in their new market. That could have been expected given their lack of history in Los Angeles compared to the Rams or Raiders. Krasovic adds some around the league wonder if Spanos will sell the Chargers a few years into their stay at Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood stadium in believing the franchise’s value will have peaked by then.

  • Joey Bosa‘s official diagnosis is a bone bruise on his left foot, Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets. The Chargers defensive end is not expected to need surgery, with rest and rehab being the current plan to get the stalwart pass rusher back on the field. He’s not expected to play against the Bills on Sunday, and Anthony Lynn wouldn’t be surprised if he missed more games.

Joey Bosa Likely To Miss More Games

September 13th, 2018 at 12:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joey Bosa‘s foot issue has become a key concern for the Chargers. Their dynamic defensive end is unlikely to make his season debut for a bit.

During a Sirius XM Radio interview (Twitter link), Anthony Lynn said he does not expect the third-year defender to suit up for the “next couple of weeks.”

Bosa visited foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson on Wednesday and was already not expected to join the Chargers on the field for their Week 2 Bills game Sunday, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets this injury is not serious enough the Bolts are considering an IR stay.

Given his importance to the Chargers’ defense, which ranked third against the pass last season, this poses a problem. Bosa (23 career sacks) and Melvin Ingram are arguably the top edge-rushing pair in the NFL, but the Bolts aren’t particularly deep behind them. Only two more defensive ends — 2017 seventh-rounder Isaac Rochell and third-round Justin Jones — are on Los Angeles’ roster. The Bolts are already without Corey Liuget due to a four-game suspension.

The Chargers allowed Patrick Mahomes to throw four touchdown passes Sunday in a double-digit loss to the Chiefs. After the Bills, the Bolts will trek to the Los Angeles Coliseum for a Rams tilt before rounding out September with a home 49ers assignment.

Latest On Joey Bosa

September 9th, 2018 at 8:50am CST by Rory Parks

We learned yesterday that Chargers star defensive end Joey Bosa would miss the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs this afternoon, but the news may be even worse for Bolts fans. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Bosa will miss multiple games as a result of his foot injury, and that he is scheduled to meet with foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson this Wednesday.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says that Bosa suffered a soft tissue injury to his foot on August 7, and while he was able to return to practice this past week, he suffered a different injury to the same foot on Wednesday. The most recent injury is currently being classified as a bone bruise, and Bosa is now in a walking boot.

Rapoport suggests that the injury is not considered major, though both he and Schefter note that there is no definitive timetable on Bosa’s return. In the meantime, Isaac Rochell will start in Bosa’s place and will attempt to replicate at least some of his production.

Needless to say, that will be a tall task. Bosa has quickly established himself as one of the best young defenders in the game, having recorded 23 sacks in 28 career games.

Joey Bosa Now Wearing Walking Boot

September 7th, 2018 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Joey Bosa may miss Week 1 as well, and the Chargers‘ dynamic pass rusher was spotted in a walking boot on Friday, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Bosa will be out for Sunday’s game, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Bosa missed the preseason with a foot injury, but Wang notes (on Twitter) that ailment healed and that the third-year defensive end is week-to-week because of a different malady on that same foot. While the Bolts have maybe the NFL’s best edge-rushing tandem in Bosa and Melvin Ingram, they aren’t especially deep at that position.
  • The nagging heel issue Eric Berry‘s been dealing with will likely keep him out of Week 1. Andy Reid (via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com, on Twitter) does not expect his All-Pro safety to be available when the Chiefs play arguably their toughest AFC West game of the season — a road tilt against the Chargers. Berry’s been held out of practice this week. He missed the Chiefs’ final 15 games of last season with an Achilles tear, his second severe NFL injury. Berry’s right heel’s plagued him in recent weeks, and was also an issue in Kansas City’s 2017 training camp; the ninth-year safety tore his left Achilles’ tendon in Week 1 of last season. He hasn’t practice since August 11. Eric Murray and the recently reacquired Ron Parker are K.C.’s likely safety starters, per Teicher.
  • Joey Bosa may miss Week 1 as well, and the Chargers‘ dynamic pass rusher was spotted in a walking boot on Friday, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Bosa will be out for Sunday’s game, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Bosa missed the preseason with a foot injury, but Wang notes (on Twitter) that ailment healed and that the third-year defensive end is week-to-week because of a different malady on that same foot. While the Bolts have maybe the NFL’s best edge-rushing tandem in Bosa and Melvin Ingram, they aren’t especially deep at that position.

Chargers Notes: Bosa, Zettel, Gates

September 7th, 2018 at 11:51am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers could be without star defensive end Joey Bosa on Sunday as he deals with an ongoing foot issue, head coach Anthony Lynn told reporters, including Jack Wang of the Orange County Register. “It’s a possibility that he might not be with us,” Lynn said. “You know, we’re hopeful, but it’s possible…Foot injuries, they take on all the body weight.” Bosa hasn’t fully practiced in over a month, and Los Angeles likely doesn’t want to risk the health of its best defensive player, even though it’ll be facing a divisional opponent in the Chiefs. The Chargers, who will also be missing suspended defensive tackle Corey Liuget, would deploy second-year pro Isaac Rochell in Bosa’s stead, while Chris Landrum and second-round rookie Uchenna Nwosu could also see snaps.

  • Perhaps unsurprisingly given Bosa’s health issues, the Chargers were one of four teams that placed a waiver claim on former Lions defensive end Anthony Zettel, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The Packers, Vikings, and Browns (the latter of which had the No. 1 waiver priority and thus landed the ex-Detroit pass-rusher) also put in claims for Zettel, per Yates. Zettel is only 26 years old and started all 16 games for the Lions a season ago, so his release was certainly unexpected. Pro Football Focus graded Zettel as a top-50 edge defender in 2018, and he posted 6.5 sacks. A sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft, Zettel is under contract through 2019.
  • Franchise icon Antonio Gates will earn $2.5MM on his new one-year deal with the Chargers, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Gates will receive a $1MM signing bonus, and Pelissero previously reported the contract contains a few “reachable” incentives. Los Angeles had previously indicated Gates would not be re-signed for a 16th season, but after fellow tight end Hunter Henry went down with a torn ACL, the Chargers decided to bring Gates back into the fold. Gates is now 38 years old and posted only 316 receiving yards in 2017, but he’s still arguably an upgrade to Los Angeles’ tight end depth chart.

Corry: Joey Bosa Next In Line For Megadeal

September 5th, 2018 at 4:31pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Mack’s contract sets up Joey Bosa as the player best-positioned to eclipse it, Joel Corry of CBS Sports said (via Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Bosa’s floor will be Mack’s $23.5MM-AAV Bears deal, per Corry, who adds he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chargers‘ young pass rusher sign for $25MM per year and shoot for $100MM guaranteed. The Chargers have Bosa under team control through 2020 via the fifth-year option, and as teams showed with the 2014 first-round crop, procuring an extension with two years left on a rookie contract is difficult. Todd Gurley provided a recent exception, however. Bosa, 23, becomes extension-eligible after this season and will be much younger than Mack or Donald was when they became eligible. The Bolts also have Philip Rivers signed through 2019, and the veteran quarterback has not indicated he’s considering near-future retirement. So, the Chargers might have to build for the prospect of having two $20MM-per-year players on a payroll. No team’s cap sheet currently features that.
  • Despite being away from the Chiefs all offseason, Ron Parker has multiple avenues back into the starting lineup in time for Week 1. Eric Berry is questionable to face the Bolts with a heel injury, and Andy Reid said Berry’s longtime wingman could start regardless of the All-Pro’s status (Twitter link via the Kansas City Star’s Brooke Pryor). Parker’s started all but one Chiefs game for the past four seasons but was released in March for cap concerns. He’s now back for the league minimum, per OverTheCap. The Chiefs lost projected starter Daniel Sorensen to an August injury; he’s currently on IR.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/4/18

September 4th, 2018 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves.

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Minor AFC Transactions: 9/3/18

September 3rd, 2018 at 7:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves from the AFC:

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

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