With training camp officially less than a month away, the injury recovery process of a few key Chargers’ players could affect how the opening 53-man roster is built.
Los Angeles lost a number of players to injuries that ended up being season-ending last year despite not necessarily being the most injured team in the league.
The participation, or lack thereof, of these players in next month’s training camp could determine who’s on the field in Week 1 vs. the Dolphins.
WR Jalen Guyton
Guyton mostly worked with the trainers off to the side at minicamp two weeks ago, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
It’s been nine months since he tore his ACL against the Jaguars last September. That’s around league average in terms of recovery time. If there are no setbacks, I’d expect to see Guyton be more of an active participant in team activities by August.
If Guyton does go on the PUP list to start the season though, the Chargers could use some contingency plans. The two main options that make the most sense to me are rolling with five wideouts and increasing Derius Davis’ role early on or rostering John Hightower as the sixth receiver.
DT Austin Johnson
Johnson continues his recovery from his season-ending fractured knee injury. Timeline-wise, the injury took place early last November in the Chargers’ win over the Falcons. Johnson was notably absent from the practice field portion of minicamp on both days earlier this month.
Los Angeles needs to have Johnson back in some capacity this season as he was fifth in run-stop percentage amongst interior defensive linemen at the time of his injury. The Bolts’ issues in the run game could get worse without him as they did late last season.
The Chargers are already facing challenges on a thin defensive line as it is.
DT Otito Ogbonnia
Ogbonnia was at least seen on the practice field doing some work in his rehab process from last year’s season-ending torn patellar tendon. The attrition the Chargers experienced last year on the defensive line is apparent in the ramp-up to the 2023 regular season.
If both Ogbonnia and Johnson are ready to go for Week 1, then Los Angeles doesn’t have much to worry about. But considering how late in the season both players suffered their original injuries last November, chances are that at least one of them starts out on the PUP list. It’s worth noting the Chargers also have an early BYE in Week 5 this year to assist in recovery timelines.
Suppose one or both of Ogbonnia and Johnson can’t go by Week 1. In that case, it opens up an opportunity for Christopher Hinton or an undrafted free agent like Jerrod Clark to potentially make the roster.
CB J.C. Jackson
The most impactful recovery process on the Chargers’ 2023 season is clearly that of Jackson. Like Ogbonnia, Jackson is also in the process of recovering from a season-ending torn patellar tendon.
Warming up with the rest of the team at minicamp was a positive sign in the right direction for Jackson. Last week, the Chargers’ star cornerback met with Dr. Neil ElAttrache in hopes of getting full clearance for football activities:
Jackson said he has a check-in appointment on June 19 with Dr. Neil ElAttrache, who performed his surgery seven months ago. Jackson hopes to be cleared at that appointment. https://t.co/N7YlH2ijSu
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) June 13, 2023
As of now, it’s unclear how that appointment went. But so far, Jackson appears to be the furthest along in his recovery from this group of Chargers.
Los Angeles can withstand a few weeks of missing Jackson with Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. playing the outside, but the team should obviously hope that Jackson is back by Week 1 from a depth standpoint.
Kemon Hall would be the name to watch if the Bolts feel the need to keep an extra cornerback.
