It is no secret that the Los Angeles Chargers have been banged up this season. The Bolts have seen the likes of Rashawn Slater, Alohi Gilman, Asante Samuel Jr., and several others miss multiple games. This has been a big issue for LA so far and is one of the reasons why the team is only 3-3 through seven weeks. That said, the team will soon be bringing back some important pieces.
EDGE Joey Bosa and WR DJ Chark Jr. have returned to practice after missing extended time. Bosa has been battling injury all season and hopes to return this week, while Chark was recently activated off of the IR and plans to make his Chargers debut soon. This doesn’t fix all their injury issues, but it is a start. Other Chargers who returned to practice this week were Kristian Fulton, Hayden Hurst, and Ja’Sir Taylor.
Joey Bosa’s return will be huge for the Chargers pass rush. Second-year EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu is having an off year, and Bud Dupree doesn’t provide the pressure Bosa does on the line. Adding a Pro Bowler onto a team that has already had one of the best defenses in the league would be huge against rookie QB Spencer Rattler this week. The tandem of Bosa & Khalil Mack haven’t played together as much as they should have at this point, and every snap they share is electric.
Chark is a bigger addition to this team than many may think. Chark is a valuable veteran wideout that can provide another trustworthy option for Justin Herbert. With the offense struggling, the Bolts need any help they can get, and Chark could provide that. Adding in the absence of Quentin Johnston from practice so far, the vet will be crucial for the offense this week. Should the receivers still be unproductive with Chark in, the front office will be sure to acquire before the deadline, even if it is a small one.
Speaking of acquisitions, the Chargers have been linked to star players recently. For starters, they have expressed interest in former Charger Mike Williams, which would make a lot of sense given his price and chemistry with Herbert. However, should they choose to go big game hunting, there is a name that has appeared recently. The Chargers are reportedly linked to Browns star TE David Njoku. As the Browns retool, Njoku is likely their best asset not named Myles Garrett. The Chargers could use the versatility of Njoku and Greg Roman would love to have such a talented TE in his system. The Chargers haven’t had a TE of Njoku’s caliber since young Hunter Henry, and maybe they could make Njoku a part of the long list of legendary Tight Ends in Chargers history.
Another rumor worth noting is Rams superstar Cooper Kupp, seeing that the Chargers are the second most likely team to land the Triple Crown winner. However, the chances that Joe Hortiz goes all-in on this season are very slim, and going to get a receiver like Kupp doesn’t make much sense for this team’s trajectory.
