Injuries Piling Up For The Chargers

CHARGERS LOSE DE JOEY BOSA AND OT RASHAWN SLATER AS INJURY PROBLEMS LOOM

   The Los Angeles Chargers have officially placed defensive end Joey Bosa and left tackle Rashawn Slater on injured reserve as the team continues to battle injuries in the early part of the season.

   Bosa and Slater are the latest starters on the injury reserve list after the team missed wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring) and cornerback JC Jackson (ankle) over the past two games and center Corey Linsley (knee) for the Chargers’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

   Bosa suffered a groin injury during the first quarter on Sunday and didn’t return, ending the game with one tackle. The seven-year player has 1.5 sacks, seven tackles, and one forced fumble for the season.

   Chargers head coach Brandon Staley confirmed on Wednesday that Bosa will indeed undergo surgery for a torn groin. The surgery will be conducted imminently by an expert doctor, Dr. William Meyers at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia to correct the injury as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Bosa is expected to be out for more than a month. 

   “Doctors have given us that indication that he will be able to return at some point,” Staley said. “But he is going on IR. He’s not returning in the near future.” As per sports and family medicine specialist Dr. Jesse Morse, Bosa is likely out for six to eight weeks until he can return as sports hernias take weeks to feel 100% again.

   Bosa’s extended time out is a massive blow to the Chargers’ pass rush as the team had envisioned an edge-rushing tandem with Bosa and Khalil Mack when they acquired the former Chicago Bear this offseason. Mack and Bosa have a combined total of 140 sacks and ten Pro Bowls in their careers to go along with an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for Mack and an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award for Bosa. 

   The former Ohio State product’s injury now gives an opportunity for outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and second-year rusher Chris Rumph II to stake their claim on the D-line and have an impact. The Chargers also recently claimed former Denver Bronco Derrek Tuszka off of waivers and have him on standby to take on a few snaps. Tuszka was waived by the Titans on Monday after making his first appearance of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, making two tackles. Now waived by two teams within a month, including the Pittsburgh Steelers at the start of September, Tuszka lands in Los Angeles at a time when they really need quality up front.

   “It’s a tough loss for our defense,” Safety Derwin James said. “But it’s on us to have his back and hold things down until he gets situated.”

   Los Angeles is 2-3 without Bosa in the five games he’s missed since 2020 and in their last game played without him, the Chargers gave up 41 points including an incredible 24 in the fourth quarter against a Davis Mills-led Houston Texans in week 16 last year. The Chargers next face Houston at 8pm EST this Sunday at NRG Stadium.

   The team also lost 2021 first-round draft pick, Rashawn Slater, for the rest of the year with a torn bicep that will require surgery and unfortunately brings an end to the season for the second-year offensive lineman. The Chargers will now use former Georgia Bulldog and sixth-round draft pick Jamaree Salyer at left tackle in Slater’s absence. Drafted to play left guard, Salyer played left tackle in his final two seasons at Georgia, helping the Bulldogs to win a national championship in January and will be the second rookie to start on the line this season along with 17th overall pick Zion Johnson, who plays at right guard.

“What we’re trying to do is keep the sides the same. Keep continuity,” Staley said. “For us, we feel like this is the best option for us going into this game plan.” The Chargers replaced Slater on Sunday with Storm Norton whose underwhelming performance brought forth a wave of questions and panic from fans who will breathe a sigh of relief to see Salyer named starter for at least week 4.

   The Chargers have also lost wide receiver Jalen Guyton for the season after he tore his ACL during Sunday’s 38-10 loss to Jacksonville and are dealing with a rib cartilage fracture to quarterback Justin Herbert after he was hurt on Thursday night during week 2’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. A challenging period for second-year head coach Brandon Staley no doubt, the 1-2 Chargers look forward to battling in a tough division and have their eyes set out on a playoff spot. The Chargers haven’t been to the playoffs since 2018 and are looking to cap Justin Herbert’s third season in the league with a trip to the postseason for the first time. 

-Maher Abucheri

Twitter: @pabloikonyero

Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.