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Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

Chargers Work Out Aaron Dobson

September 14th, 2016 at 1:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Aaron Dobson‘s NFL tour continues. The wide receiver will audition for the Chargers today, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). Aaron Dobson (vertical)

[RELATED: Chargers Place Keenan Allen On IR]

For those of you keeping track, Dobson worked out for the Jets last week, tried out for the Eagles on Monday, and auditioned for the 49ers on Tuesday. The Bolts took a look at wide receivers Chris Givens and Griff Whalen yesterday, but Dobson did not participate in that workout due to his Niners scheduling conflict. The Patriots waited for Dobson to break out for three seasons but they decided earlier this month that they could not wait any longer for the former second-round pick to shine.

After losing wide receiver Keenan Allen for the season, the Chargers are scouring the free agent market for options. Of course, they won’t find anyone that can replicate Allen’s production, but they could probably use some additional depth behind receivers Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Dontrelle Inman, and Isaiah Burse. The Chargers were already looking thin after Stevie Johnson’s injury and Allen’s torn ACL only thinned out that group even further.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers Work Out Chris Givens, Griff Whalen

September 13th, 2016 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

After having lost wideout Keenan Allen for the season, the Chargers are actively seeking receivers. According to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter), the team brought in wide receivers Chris Givens and Griff Whalen for a workout today.

Chris GivensGivens, 26, briefly caught on with the Eagles this offseason, but the veteran failed to make the opening day roster. The former fourth-rounder played for the Ravens and the Rams in 2015, catching 20 passes for 353 yards and one touchdown. His best season came during his rookie campaign in 2012, when he hauled in 42 catches for 698 yards and three touchdowns.

Whalen, 26, spent the offseason with the Dolphins but was ultimately cut by the team. The former undrafted free agent out of Stanford spent his first four NFL seasons with the Colts, where he appeared in 34 games. Whalen finished 2015 with 19 catches for 205 yards and one touchdown.

As Roster Resource shows, the Chargers are currently counting on Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Dontrelle Inman, and Isaiah Burse to replace some of Allen’s production. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Allen has struggled through injuries over the past year, but he still managed to catch at least 65 passes in his three previous NFL seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers Officially Place Keenan Allen On IR

September 12th, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Keenan Allen‘s season is already over. The Chargers announced that they have officially placed their best wide receiver on IR. In a related move, the Chargers have activated defensive end Joey Bosa to their 53-man roster.Keenan Allen (Vertical)

Allen suffered what was feared to be a torn ACL on Sunday. Today, those fears were confirmed by an MRI. Without Allen, the Chargers are without their top receiving weapon and that is especially devastating since Stevie Johnson is already on IR. Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Dontrelle Inman, and Isaiah Burse will be asked to pick up the slack at receiver. Of course, tight end Antonio Gates can expect to see more targets as well.

We expect the Chargers to explore free agent options and the list of available veterans includes names such as Brian Hartline, Roddy White, and Aaron Dobson. Of course, none of those players can match the skill set of a healthy Allen, but beggars can’t be choosers.

If there is one silver lining here, it is that Allen’s other ligaments are intact, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That will make rehab a bit easier for the 24-year-old.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers Acknowledge ACL-Tear Speculation For Allen

September 11th, 2016 at 7:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

The fourth-year wideout who signed a four-year, $45MM extension this summer will have an MRI done on Monday. But the widespread notion remains the Bolts’ No. 1 target will join Stevie Johnson on IR.

The Chargers are not yet ready to confirm a torn-ACL diagnosis for Keenan Allen, but Mike McCoy acknowledged there is speculation about that likely season-ending injury, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets.

San Diego, which has two wideouts on its practice squad, could opt to bring back James Jones, whom the team cut after signing him following the Johnson injury. Or, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, the Chargers could look at other available wideouts like Roddy White, Brian Hartline or Aaron Dobson. Florio also posits the Chargers could attempt to trade for Josh Gordon, given that they’ve lost two of their top four targets over the past several weeks.

Keenan Allen Suffers Likely Torn ACL

September 11th, 2016 at 2:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

For the second consecutive season, Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen‘s season has been cut short by a major injury. Initial tests show that Allen has likely suffered a torn ACL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Video of the play can be viewed here, courtesy of Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports.Keenan Allen (Vertical)

[RELATED: Philip Rivers Restructures Contract]

Allen, who signed a four-year, $45MM extension earlier this year, has been a force since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2013, and is still only 24 years old. After topping 1,000 yards receiving and scoring eight touchdowns during his rookie campaign, Allen came back down to earth in 2014, but was on pace for the best season of his career last year. With 67 receptions and 725 yards under his belt through only eight games, Allen suffered a lacerated kidney and was forced to miss the rest of the campaign.

The Chargers had already lost another member of their pass-catching corps, as Steve Johnson is done for the year after tearing his meniscus in August. As such, San Diego’s depth chart will now see free agent signee Travis Benjamin at the top, followed by Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, and Isaiah Burse. The club has two WRs on its practice squad in Jonathan Krause and Dom Williams that could conceivably be promoted, or the Chargers could turn to the free agent market for help.

One intriguing option for the Bolts may be James Jones, who spent time with the club this summer before being released. Seyi Ajirotutu and Vincent Brown also have a history with the Chargers, but neither is likely to make much of an impact. Veterans such as Roddy White and Nate Washington are available, but the free agent with the highest upside is probably Rueben Randle, who was released by the Eagles last month.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers Waive Rasheed Bailey

September 9th, 2016 at 4:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
  • The Chargers have reached injury settlements with wide receiver Rasheed Bailey and linebacker Shaq Petteway, per Adam Caplan of ESPN and Wilson (on Twitter). San Diego claimed Bailey on Aug. 18 after the Jaguars cut him, but the Bolts ultimately waived/injured him last weekend. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Bailey went undrafted out of Delaware Valley a year ago and spent time with the Eagles, though he didn’t garner any regular-season experience with either them or the Jags. Petteway signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent from West Virginia on April 30.

Chargers’ Philip Rivers Restructures Contract

September 9th, 2016 at 9:51am CST by Zachary Links

Philip Rivers has agreed to move some of his money around in order to help the Chargers’ fiscal situation. Rivers inked a reworked deal on Wednesday that will see $6MM of his $16.5MM salary this season converted into a roster bonus, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. The adjustment creates $4.5M in cap space for the Chargers. Philip Rivers

Rivers signed an extension with San Diego last summer and that deal should keep him in place through the 2019 season. The veteran showed no signs of slowing down in 2015 as he led the league with 437 completions and racked up 4,792 passing yards to go along with 29 touchdown passes.

Rivers’ contract makes him the ninth-highest paid quarterback in the league in terms of annual average. His $20.81MM AAV is only bested by Andrew Luck, Drew Brees, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, and Eli Manning. Rivers will try and lead his team to a better mark than the 4-12 record they had last year. The Bolts’ season opens on Sunday when they face off against the Chiefs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC West

September 4th, 2016 at 6:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

Oakland Raiders

San Diego Chargers

Chargers Claim Andre Williams

September 4th, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have claimed running back Andre Williams off waivers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Williams was cut by the Giants yesterday as part of their effort to get down to a 53-man roster.

Williams will head to San Diego and join a running back depth chart that includes former first-rounder Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead, meaning the former Giant likely won’t have a large role in the offense. However, the Chargers recently lost both Branden Oliver and Dreamius Smith, so there might be a few extra carries lying around for Williams to take.

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