- The Chargers auditioned defensive backs Randall Evans and Solomon Means, tweets Balzer. San Diego is currently missing cornerback Brandon Flowers (concussion), while safety Jahleel Addae just returned on Sunday after recovering from a broken collarbone.
Last year, rugby star Jarryd Hayne signed with the 49ers and tried his hand at the NFL. His stay in the league was short, but there are now a pair of rugby standouts that are hoping to follow his footsteps. Australian Rugby League players Valentine Holmes and Jason Taumalolo tried out for teams on Saturday, as Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com tweets.
The Bills, Bears, Browns, Packers, Colts, Jaguars, Chiefs, Rams, Jets, Eagles, Chargers, Seahawks, Cardinals, and the 49ers were all in attendance for the workout (Twitter link). Taumalolo, 23, and Holmes, 21, ran passing routes, underwent speed and agility tests, and ran the 40-yard dash, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Taumalolo hears that he could project to fullback, tight end, or linebacker while Holmes was pegged as a wide receiver or safety.
At least four NFL teams expressed interest in taking a second look at the duo, the Australian Associated Press reports. Scouts from the Packers, Eagles, Jets, Chiefs and Cardinals appeared to be the most interested. The AAP writes that both players intend on fulfilling their NRL contracts for 2017, but one has to imagine that they could change their minds if presented with an NFL offer.
Another Chargers season largely defined by injuries saw another player set to venture toward IR. Jerry Attaochu broke his foot in the Bolts’ victory over the Texans and will miss the rest of the season, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The third-year outside linebacker broke his right foot when it was caught in the turf at NRG Stadium during San Diego’s 21-13 road win. He joins a sizable contingent of Chargers who have been ruled out for the season. It’s the ninth game during which an injury sufficient enough for a Charger to be declared done for 2016 occurred.
Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead, Jason Verrett, Manti Te’o, Dexter McCluster and Brandon Mebane highlight this list, which makes for the second straight year of rampant injuries for the Chargers, who have battled to a 5-6 record despite the throng of unavailable key talent.
Attaochu did not build on a successful 2015 campaign, though, and already missed three games with a high-ankle sprain. The former second-round pick notched six sacks last season but came up with only two this fall. The Georgia Tech product served as a near-full-time starter for the ’15 Bolts, breaking with the first unit in 12 games. This season, Kyle Emanuel usurped him in the lineup, relegating Attaochu to an off-the-bench role save for one game. Attaochu’s recorded just two sacks and saw action in just 178 snaps.
Emanuel profiles as a run-stopper and does not have a sack this season. Fourth-year player Tourek Williams figures to see more work as a result of this latest setback.
Chargers owner Dean Spanos said earlier this month that he was shelving relocation talks until after the season, but he and the Rams’ Stan Kroenke are in close contact and progressing toward an agreement to share a stadium in Inglewood, Calif., according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
The $2.6 billion facility in Inglewood won’t be ready until 2019, so the Chargers are considering relocating to Carson, Calif., for the next two seasons and playing at the StubHub Center. Although its capacity is just 27,000, some in the Chargers organization prefer temporarily utilizing the StubHub Center in lieu of sharing the Coliseum with both the Rams and USC Trojans, reports La Canfora.
For their part, the Rams are motivated to make a deal with the Chargers happen. Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff made clear last week that there aren’t any roadblocks in the way of an agreement. Further, the Rams can’t sell personal seat licenses and suite deals until they know whether the Bolts will join them in Inglewood, notes La Canfora. That could give the Chargers leverage in negotiations and result in the franchise paying a less expensive relocation fee if it heads to Los Angeles.
The Chargers could have joined the Rams in LA this season, but they opted to give the city of San Diego more time in hopes of landing a new stadium. Little progress has been made on that front, and the Bolts’ Jan. 15 deadline to decide whether to partner with the Rams is fast approaching. Theoretically, given that the Chargers’ lease with San Diego runs through the 2020 season, they could extend the LA deadline again and continue lobbying for a stadium in the city they’ve called home since 1961. However, given that relations between the Chargers and Rams have improved from where they were a couple weeks ago, it seems likelier the Bolts are playing their final season in San Diego.
- The Chargers tried to sign wide receiver Paul Turner before the Eagles promoted him to their 53-man roster this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Wednesday’s practice squad changes:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: CB Troy Hill (via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Aaron Grymes
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: OLB Chris McCain (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Malcolm Johnson (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
- The Chargers have promoted cornerback Trovon Reed from the practice squad, the team announced. The former Auburn standout has yet to make an NFL appearance. The defensive back will be taking the roster spot of defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, who was placed on the injured reserve today.
TODAY, 6:20pm: The Chargers have placed Mebane on the injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Eric Williams (via Twitter).
NOV. 14th, 2:03pm: Brandon Mebane tore his biceps and is out for the season, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Mebane signed with the Bolts in free agency this spring. Upon joining the team, he spoke glowingly of the defense and how excited he was to be a part of it.
“I was telling guys, there’s more talent on this defense than in Seattle. If you look at the draft, you’ve got four first-round draft picks. You’ve got five second-round draft picks, all total on defense. In Seattle, we only had two first rounders and one second rounder. Everybody else was pretty much down in the draft or undrafted,” he said in May.
The longtime Seahawks defensive lineman spent his entire career in Seattle before joining San Diego this offseason. From 2007-2015, he missed only 13 games. Now, he’s pretty much going to miss the second half of the 2016 season.
Mebane earned an average rating from Pro Football Focus for his 2015 performance, placing him just inside the top-100 of the league’s interior defenders. This year, however, PFF has Mebane ranked as the 15th best interior defender in the NFL, ahead of notables such as Malik Jackson, Michael Brockers, Stephon Tuitt, Derek Wolfe, and Dominique Easley.
It didn’t take long for Ronnie Hillman to find a new job. A day after getting waived by the Vikings, the running back has been claimed by the Chargers (via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter). Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that the team has waived wideout Griff Whalen to make the necessary roster room.
This is a bit of a homecoming for the 25-year-old, as Hillman was a former standout at San Diego State. The running back signed a one-year deal to stay with the Broncos this offseason, but he was ultimately cut by the team in early September. Following Adrian Peterson‘s injury, the Vikings signed the four-year veteran. Before joining Minnesota, Hillman also auditioned for the Chargers.
In five games with Minnesota, Hillman compiled 50 yards on 18 carries. In 53 career games, the running back has averaged four yards per carry, and he has also hauled in 71 career receptions. 2015 was arguably Hillman’s best season, as the running back ran for 863 yards and seven touchdowns.
Despite the emergence of Melvin Gordon, the Chargers running backs have struggled with injuries in 2016. The team has already lost Danny Woodhead, Dexter McCluster, and Branden Oliver for the season. Hillman will presumably compete with undrafted free agent Kenneth Farrow for back-up running back carries.
Whalen played eight games for the Chargers this season, collecting two catches for 22 yards.
Although the Chargers announced they’re not making a decision on a potential Los Angeles relocation until after the season, they are talking to the Rams about the long-rumored move, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
Rams’ chief operating officer Kevin Demoff confirmed the two franchises are talking about a Chargers northern migration, one that became much more realistic after San Diego citizens resoundingly voted down the Bolts’ downtown stadium proposal on election day.
“There are no hurdles to any deal,” Demoff said, via Rapoport. “The relationship between the two owners is in a good place, and I believe the Chargers feel welcomed. Nothing stands in their way of moving if that is what they want to do. I would also say we have no insight on what their decision will be. It’s only that we have worked hard to make sure their L.A. option is a good one.”
The Chargers and Rams agreed to a deal in principle earlier this year just before Dean Spanos announced his team was going to play 2016 in San Diego, and the Bolts subsequently attempted to craft a desirable stadium deal. The latest coming out of San Diego is the city will continue to host Chargers games next season, but that’s not certain yet. Neither is the viability of Los Angeles being a two-team city, with Roger Goodell’s preference remaining to keep the Chargers and Raiders — who still have a Los Angeles path — in their respective markets.
The Rams and Chargers, though, have a green light to share Stan Kroenke‘s $2.6 billion stadium, which is set for a 2019 unveiling, thanks to the owners’ decision in January. Although the Bolts haven’t yet asked the league for an extension on deciding on L.A., they could do so soon. Should the Chargers pass on Inglewood by Jan. 15, that would give the Raiders the opportunity to move back. The Raiders remain committed to Las Vegas, but that venture isn’t certain yet either due to the likely relocation vote having no consensus yet and potential hiccups regarding the financing of the proposed stadium.
Moving parts remain, but Demoff’s comments represent a step for a Rams-Chargers union.