Keenan Allen Suffers Likely Torn ACL
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.
[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.
Joey Bosa Week-To-Week With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain
- Chargers rookie defensive end Joey Bosa is week-to-week with a Grade 1 strained hamstring, as Schefter tweets. Per Schefter, Bosa has still not practiced in pads, so it could be awhile before he suits up for a regular season game.
Chargers Waive Rasheed Bailey
- 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
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. 
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
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
- Signed to practice squad:
- RB Juwan Thompson (Link via Cameron Wolfe)
- CB Taurean Nixon
- DL Vontarrius Dora
- OL Justin Murray
- WR Mose Frazier
- S Ryan Murphy
- TE Henry Krieger-Coble
- C Dillon Day
- DL Kyle Kragen (Link via Mike Klis)
- WR Kalif Raymond (Link via Klis)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Claimed:
- LB Sam Barrington (Twitter link via Mike Florio of PFT)
- T Bryan Witzmann
- Waived:
- LB Ramik Wilson (Link via Adam Schefter)
- G Jordan Devey (Link via Terez A. Paylor)
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Frankie Hammond (link via Aaron Wilson)
- ILB Terrance Smith (link via Terez A. Paylor)
- OL Jarrod Pughsley (link via Paylor)
- DL David King (Link via Paylor)
- S Shak Randolph (Link via Paylor)
- C Daniel Munyer (Link via Paylor)
- LB Tyrell Adams (Link via Paylor)
- WR Seantavius Jones (Link via Paylor)
- RB Darrin Reaves (Link via Paylor)
- S Brock Vereen (Link via Paylor)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Ryan O’Malley (Link via Aaron Wilson)
- WR Jaydon Mickens (Link via Lars Hanson)
- OL Oni Omoile (Link via Zack Spears)
- WR K.J. Brent (Official announcement)
- CB Kenneth Durden (Official announcement)
- DL Branden Jackson (Official announcement)
- OG Denver Kirkland (Official announcement)
- LB Korey Toomer (Official announcement)
San Diego Chargers
- Claimed:
- DB Pierre Desir (Link via NFL Draft Diamonds)
- DT Caraun Reid (Link via Mike Florio of PFT)
- RB Andre Williams (story)
- Waived:
- CB Steve Williams (Link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
- LB Chris Landrum
- TE Asante Cleveland
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Ben Gardner (link via Michael Gehlken)
- CB Trevor Williams (link via Michael Gehlken)
- WR Dom Williams (link via Michael Gehlken)
- S Adrian McDonald (link via Michael Gehlken)
- OT Austin Shepherd (link via Michael Gehlken)
- DT Kaleb Eulls
- TE Jake McGee (link via Gehlkin)
- WR Jonathan Krause (link via Gehlkin)
- LB Chris Landrum (link via Gehlkin)
- TE Asante Cleveland (link via Gehlkin)
Chargers Claim Andre Williams
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.
Waiver Wire Priority For All 32 NFL Teams
Yesterday was the 53-man roster deadline, but the madness will continue today as teams pick through the waiver pile for talented discards. Priority is dictated by the reverse standings with tiebreakers where necessary, which is to say that it will be the same as the 2016 draft order before all the trades. Unlike your fantasy league’s waiver wire, a team does not go to the back of the list upon making a successful claim. That means that the league’s worst teams from 2015 have a significant advantage today as they make late roster additions.
Here is the complete waiver priority order:
1. Titans
2. Browns
3. Chargers
4. Cowboys
5. Jaguars
6. Ravens
7. 49ers
8. Dolphins
9. Buccaneers
10. Giants
11. Bears
12. Saints
13. Eagles
14. Raiders
15. Rams
16. Lions
17. Falcons
18. Colts
19. Bills
20. Jets
21. Redskins
22. Texans
23. Vikings
24. Bengals
25. Seahawks
26. Packers
27. Steelers
28. Chiefs
29. Patriots
30. Cardinals
31. Panthers
32. Broncos
Chargers Move Roster To 53
The Chargers have trimmed their roster down to 53 by making the following moves:
- OLB Ben Gardiner (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune)
- CB Trevor Williams (Twitter link via Gehlken)
- WR Dom Williams (Twitter link via Gehlken)
- FB Chris Swain (Twitter link via Gehlken)
- WR Rasheed Bailey (injured)
- QB Mike Bercovici
- T Brett Boyko
- RB Gus Johnson
- S Adrian McDonald
- ILB Shaq Petteway (injured)
- OLB James Vaughters
Reserve/Suspended:
Exempt
- DE Joey Bosa
Chargers Cut 10 Players
The Chargers have cut 10 players in advance of Saturday’s 53-man roster deadline, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Click here for the Twitter links):
- OG Vi Teofilo
- OL Marcel Jones
- WR DeAndre Reaves
- TE Matt Weiser
- TE Tim Semisch
- DL Kamal Johnson
- DL Chuka Ndulue
- LB James Ross
- CB Richard Crawford
- DB Larry Scott
Chargers’ Spanos On Joey Bosa Saga
Earlier this week, the Joey Bosa saga finally came to a close when the Chargers and the rookie’s reps compromised on a contract. As the talks dragged on, the tenor of the negotiations got uglier and uglier, including the Bolts’ unprecedented move of publicly releasing details of their contract offer. That press release raised eyebrows in the football world, but team president of football operations John Spanos says he has no regrets. 
[RELATED: Chargers Release James Jones]
“Obviously, it was a difficult decision,” Spanos told Xtra 1360 Fox Sports Radio (via ESPN.com). “Any time you’re in a tough negotiation, everything you do is a difficult decision. And let me be clear: It’s certainly never our preference to make any public comments. It’s not how we’ve operated in the past, I would say, and only [on] the rarest of occasions. In fact, I’ve probably been involved in hundreds of player negotiations and contract agreements, whether it’s helping out or leading, throughout my lifetime, and that’s the first time I’ve ever said anything public.
“So that shows you how rare that is. It’s not what we prefer to do — only, I would say, when we’re forced to do it. The bottom line is if someone were to tell me that’s why we got it done, then, yeah, I would do it again, because our goal the whole time was we wanted him here. And we were going to do whatever it takes to get him here.”
Releasing the details of the offer probably rubbed Bosa the wrong way and some believe that it could give pause to rookies and free agents in the future. Spanos personally believes that free agents will not be deterred by the tenor of the Bosa negotiations and feels that sunny San Diego will continue to be a desirable landing spot for players. I can’t dispute the appeal of San Diego as a city, but I have my doubts as to whether players will turn a blind eye to the way the Bosa discussions went.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.