Tag: denzel perryman

Will Denzel Perryman play this week? Injury updates for Chargers LB

Find out if Denzel Perryman will play this week or miss his fifth consecutive game.

Denzel Perryman has been an enforcer in the middle of the defense for the Chargers this season. Perryman has 54 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. However, the veteran linebacker has been sidelined for the last four contests while working through a groin injury.

Denzel Perryman injury update

Despite being listed as questionable on the final injury report, Perryman said Tuesday that the plan is for him to play in Thursday night’s contest against the Broncos. Perryman was a full participant at practice on Wednesday after being limited the first two days.

Chargers LB depth chart

Perryman has been one of the starting linebackers all season, and he should return to that role. Daiyan Henley will be the other starter, while Troy Dye and Junior Colson will see their playing time decrease slightly.

Chargers injury report: Quentin Johnston estimated as non participant ahead of Week 16 vs. Broncos

Ahead of their Week 16 matchup against the Broncos, the Chargers released their first practice report.

Ahead of their Week 16 matchup against the Broncos, the Chargers released their first practice report of the week on Monday.

Los Angeles did not practice today, which means the report is simply an estimation of a player’s participation if they held a practice.

Tight end Will Dissly (shoulder), cornerback Cam Hart (concussion), wide receiver Quentin Johnston (ankle), defensive back Elijah Molden (knee), defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia (pelvis) were estimated to be out of practice.

Cornerback Kristian Fulton (knee), quarterback Justin Herbert (ankle), and linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) were estimated as limited participants.

Chargers list Denzel Perryman as doubtful, 3 as questionable for Week 14

The Chargers will be without their starting linebacker for the third straight week.

The Chargers will likely be without linebacker Denzel Perryman, as he was listed as doubtful on the final injury report ahead of the Week 14 game against the Chiefs.

Perryman has missed the last two games with a groin injury.

Heading into Sunday night, three players are questionable: Wide receiver Ladd McConkey (knee/shoulder), safety Tony Jefferson (hamstring) and linebacker Junior Colson (hamstring).

The Bolts are hopeful that McConkey can play this weekend.

“Shoot, if I can play, I’m gonna play. At the end of the day, I’m gonna do whatever I need to do to get out there,” McConkey said when asked if he expects to play against Kansas City.

After being limited on Wednesday and Thursday, Colson was a full participant on Friday.

Colson, the rookie out of Michigan, was designated to return from injured reserve. He has been sidelined for the last four games due to an ankle injury he suffered in Week 9 against the Browns.

Chargers WR Ladd McConkey limited in practice on Wednesday

The stud rookie wide receiver’s status for Week 14 is up in the air.

All the attention is on wide receiver Ladd McConkey ahead of the Chargers’ Week 14 game against the Chiefs.

Despite finishing with a season-high nine catches for 117 yards, McConkey exited last Sunday’s win over the Falcons with a knee issue.

As Los Angeles began its preparation for Sunday Night Football, McConkey was a limited participant at practice on Wednesday. He’s also nursing a shoulder injury.

McConkey leads the Chargers with 58 receptions for 815 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Cornerback Cam Hart (ankle) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) were also limited. The Chargers opened the 21-day practice window for linebacker Junior Colson (ankle).

Edge defender Bud Dupree (heel), safety Tony Jefferson (hamstring) and safety Elijah Molden (back) were other limited participants.

Linebacker Daiyan Henley (knee) and edge defender Khalil Mack (rest) did not practice.

Chargers final injury report: Los Angeles rules out 4 starters ahead of Week 13

The Chargers will be without three defensive starters.

The Chargers had their final practice on Friday in preparation for the Week 13 game against the Falcons.

Los Angeles will have a backfield with its top running back, J.K. Dobbins, who is out with a knee injury he sustained in the Week 12 game against the Ravens.

L.A. will be without two starters from the secondary: Safety Alohi Gilman and cornerback Cam Hart.

Gilman is dealing with a hamstring injury. Hart is sidelined with an ankle injury.

Linebacker Denzel Perryman was also ruled out for the second consecutive week. Perryman is nursing a groin injury.

Linebacker Daiyan Henley is questionable with a calf injury. Henley was added to the injury report on Friday.

Chargers acknowledge Jesse Minter might not be in Los Angeles for long

Jesse Minter has transformed the Chargers’ defense into being one of the best units in the NFL in 2024.

The Chargers have undergone a complete identity change in 2024. It starts with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has always been known to have physical football teams.

Los Angeles has prioritized winning in the trenches, which was evident when they selected Joe Alt fifth overall over an elite wide receiver talent. Beyond Harbaugh, though, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has also played a large role in the team’s identity change.

The defense has looked much better in 2024 under Minter, who is in his first year in the NFL. Harbaugh acknowledged Minter may not be with the team for long.

“We’re probably gonna have to just enjoy Jesse Minter while we have him because I have a feeling he’s gonna be a head coach next year. We’re gonna be competing against him,” Harbaugh said on The Pat McAfee Show.

If things continue as they are, Minter will undoubtedly be a prime coaching candidate this upcoming offseason. A few obvious spots around the league will have an opening, and the young DC will likely get a few interviews, at minimum.

In 2024, the Chargers are the league’s lowest-scoring defense. In fact, they have allowed 28 fewer points than the next-best defense, the Steelers. Minter’s unit ranks in the top 10 in both run defense (9th) and pass defense (9th).

“He’s just intuitive. He knows offensive football almost as well as defensive football. He knows how an offense is going to try to attack. There’s some playcallers that just have ‘it’ too, he has it,” Harbaugh said of Minter.

Suddenly, the Chargers seem to have one of the best coaching staffs in the league. That’s not something we could have said in past seasons, and it has completely transformed this team.

Pair of Chargers fined for ‘use of helmets’ in Week 4 vs. Chiefs

The NFL continues to discipline the Chargers.

The NFL continues to discipline the Chargers.

Linebacker Denzel Perryman was fined $66,666 for unnecessary roughness/use of helmet against the Chiefs. Perryman attempted to make a tackle on Kareem Hunt and he lowered his helmet and made contact with Hunt’s helmet.

Edge defender Khalil Mack was also fined $22,511. Mack was pass rushing from the outside and came inside, where his helmet made contact with center Creed Humphrey.

While both of these incidents were likely unintentional, the league is being more strict with the safety of the players, and things like this are resulting in consequences.

These came a week after safety Derwin James was suspended for the game against Kansas City for a hit on Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth the week before. Despite appealing, it was upheld.

Game Balls: 5 standouts from Chargers’ Week 2 win over Panthers

Find out who the five standout performers were in Week 2.

The Chargers improved to 2-0 on Sunday with a 26-3 victory over the Panthers. It was more of the same in Week 2 for Jim Harbaugh’s squad in which they dominated the game in the trenches.

A few players picked up right where they left off from Week 1, while a few others put in a bounce-back performance.

Check out who the standouts were from this week.

WR Quentin Johnston

The second-year wideout is the biggest winner of the week. In perhaps the best game of his short career, he finished the day with five catches, 51 yards, and two touchdowns, all of which led the game. His first touchdown, a 29-yarder, was an impressive one in traffic. It’s nice to see Johnston step up in a big way and hopefully will be a sign of more things to come.

DC Jesse Minter

Do the Chargers finally have a defense? Okay, it’s still too early, but the early signs are promising. The defense, led by Minter, has given up just 13 points through two games. The performances have come against two of the league’s worst offenses, so we should remain cautiously optimistic for now. Still, Minter did a phenomenal job once again in Week 2 by completely blanketing the Panthers offense.

RB J.K. Dobbins

I listed him as a standout last week, and he deserves a shout once again in Week 2. Dobbins finished the contest with 17 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown. His speed and burst look to be back, which was evidenced once again on his 43-yard touchdown. The explosive plays are reasons to believe this success can be maintained, as he now has 266 yards through two weeks. Moreover, Dobbins continues to separate himself as the best back on the team over Gus Edwards.

LB Denzel Perryman

Amidst the defense’s outbreak in the first two weeks, Perryman has led the charge in the middle of the defense. He finished the game with seven total tackles in addition to a huge sack in the first quarter that took the Panthers out of field goal range. His physicality has led the charge in the first two weeks, and the Chargers will need it again from him in Week 3 against the Steelers.

DB Elijah Molden

What a story this guy has become. Molden hasn’t even been with the team for a month and was given a game ball after the game by Harbaugh. He finished the game with seven total tackles in addition to the defense’s lone interception on the day. The takeaway killed any of the Panthers’ potential momentum heading into halftime, and it seems the 2021 third-rounder has earned more playing time moving forward.

Chargers 53-man roster projection: Final prediction before cutdown day

Here’s one final guess at what the initial Chargers 53-man roster will look like.

Training camp and preseason play are over, so now the Chargers coaching staff will use them as their resources to get the roster from 91 players to 53 ahead of the 2024 regular season.

The team will have until 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday to make their cuts.

With that being said, here is our final projection of what we believe the initial roster will look like.

Quarterback (2): Justin Herbert, Easton Stick

Stick had the opportunity all summer to show he’s a serviceable backup, but he failed to do so. I believe he will make the initial roster, but Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh will see which quarterbacks are available once cuts are made and end up signing one and letting go of Stick.

Running back (4): Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Jaret Patterson, Kimani Vidal

No changes from my last projection. Despite being a mainstay on special teams, Isaiah Spiller did not do much on the ground. Patterson was a summer standout. Vidal was productive upon returning from his injury, rushing for 49 yards on 11 carries against the Rams in Week 2.

Wide receiver (6): Josh Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark, Derius Davis, Simi Fehoko

No changes. Fehoko capped off an impressive summer with a 78-yard touchdown against the Cowboys. Brenden Rice stood out in training camp, but the same thing can’t be said about his performances in the preseason, mainly due to the lackluster quarterback play. Rice is worthy of a spot. He is a sharp route runner who blocks his tail off. But I can’t see the Chargers rostering seven wideouts.

Tight end (3): Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Stone Smartt

Sometimes the best ability is availability, and that does not apply to Donald Parham, who’s struggled to stay healthy. He has also not improved as a blocker, something the Chargers want from their tight ends. Meanwhile, Smartt has improved in this department. He will also make his money on special teams.

Offensive line (9): Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Trey Pipkins, Joe Alt, Brenden Jaimes, Jamaree Salyer, Jordan McFadden, Foster Sarell

No changes.

Edge rusher (5): Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree, Tre’Mon Morris-Brash

I have the Chargers starting the season with five edge rushers. Chris Rumph II would’ve been given the nod after having a great summer. Unfortunately, he is dealing with a foot injury and I believe he will begin the season on the injured reserve. Morris-Brash showed some real juice as a pass rusher in training camp and preseason. He capped off his summer with a pick-six against the Cowboys.

Interior defensive line (6): Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Teair Tart, Scott Matlock, Otito Ogbonnia, Justin Eboigbe

No changes. Eboigbe was practically nonexistent during camp and preseason. But the team used a fairly high draft pick on him, and playing defensive tackle in this league as a rookie is a learning curve so I believe he is safe.

Linebacker (5): Denzel Perryman, Junior Colson, Daiyan Henley, Nick Niemann, Troy Dye

No changes.

Cornerback (6): Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart

No changes.

Safety (4): Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, AJ Finley, JT Woods

Tony Jefferson had the best performance of the preseason against the Cowboys, finishing with 14 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble. But I believe it was a little too late to warrant a roster spot. I expect him to land on the practice squad as he is not subject to waivers if he’s released. Finley played his way to being the third safety. Woods makes the squad, as he showed signs of improvement and intrigued as an outside cornerback, the position he transitioned to toward the end of the summer.

Specialists (3): K Cameron Dicker, P J.K. Scott, LS Josh Harris

No changes.

Chargers defensive depth chart projection ahead of training camp

Our very early prediction for who will make the Chargers’ 53-man roster on the defensive side of the ball

The Chargers begin training camp in a couple of weeks to prepare for the start of the 2024 season under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

There, roster spots will be won and lost at The Bolt, the team’s brand-new training facility in El Segundo, CA.

That said, here is my very early prediction for who will make the 53-man roster on the defensive side of the ball.

Edge rusher (4): Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree

Misses the cut: Chris Rumph II, Ty Shelby, Andrew Farmer,

Interior defensive line (5): Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Justin Eboigbe, Otito Ogbonnia, Chris Hinton

Misses the cut: CJ Okoye, Jerrod Clark

Linebacker (5): Denzel Perryman, Junior Colson, Daiyan Henley, Nick Niemann, Troy Dye

Misses the cut: Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, Shane Lee

Cornerback (6): Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Cam Hart, Tarheeb Still

Misses the cut: Chris Wilcox, Matt Hankins

Safety (4): Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, Tony Jefferson, Akeem Dent

Misses the cut: AJ Finley, JT Woods