A knee injury sends David Njoku to IR as the Chargers juggle a growing injury list

The Los Angeles Chargers placed tight end David Njoku on injured reserve on Wednesday due to a knee injury. This comes after Njoku suffered the injury during a 26-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, which has given the Chargers a 0-2 start to the season. Njoku will miss a minimum of four games. He joins a growing list of injured players for the Chargers, including center Tyler Biadasz, wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and linebacker Denzel Perryman, all of whom have been placed on injured list (IL).

Coach Jim Harbaugh revealed that tight end Charlie Kolar had not been scheduled to go on IR following surgery on his forearm, as was previously anticipated. Kolar did not practice and is unlikely to play in the upcoming game against the Buffalo Bills. Other players who did not practice were defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson (hamstring), safety Elijah Molden (hamstring), offensive lineman Trey Pipkins (knee), wide receiver Brenen Thompson (quad), and left guard Kayode Awosika (fibula).

Safety Derwin James and offensive lineman Khalil Mack had veteran rest days, with James also managing a finger injury. The Chargers bolstered their roster by signing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the active roster, who started 69 out of 116 regular-season games over the course of eight seasons in the NFL. Long snapper Spencer Triplett was also signed to the practice squad.