The Chargers placed cornerback J.C. Jackson on injured reserve on Wednesday and signed outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu in order to bolster the edge rusher position in the wake of injuries to Joey Bosa and Chris Rumph II. Jackson is out for the season with a ruptured patellar tendon.
In addition, the Chargers did not place wide receiver Mike Williams on IR after he suffered a sprained ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Williams is expected to be sidelined for weeks rather than days, according to coach Brandon Staley. Players on IR must sit out a minimum of four games.
Attaochu, 29, was a second-round draft pick of the Chargers in 2014. He’s also played with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens in a career spanning 80 games. He has played one game this season with the Ravens, in Week 6 against the New York Giants.
Attaochu had the best of his nine seasons in the NFL while with the Chargers in 2015, when he had 55 tackles (44 solo), plus six sacks and 17 quarterback hits in 15 games, including 12 starts. He has played only six games in 2020 and ’21, totaling four tackles.
Jackson was injured while attempting to defend a touchdown pass late in the second quarter of the Chargers’ 37-23 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Ruptured patellar tendons typically require surgery and take between six to 12 months to heal completely.
Bosa sustained a groin tear that required surgery in the Chargers’ 38-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 25. Bosa is expected to return to the field before the end of the season. Rumph sprained his right knee while blocking during a punt in Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.
Rumph’s return to the team is expected to take weeks rather than days. Rumph was one of several players tasked with the job of replacing the injured Bosa, joining Kyle Van Noy and Derrek Tuszka in a three-man rotation that Attaochu will now join for the foreseeable future.
The Chargers (4-3) have their bye week this week. They resume play on Nov. 6 against the Falcons in Atlanta.
Denver Broncos linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu (97) tackles Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill during a Dec. 15, 2019 game in Kansas City, Mo. The Chargers signed Attaochu this week in order to bolster the edge rusher position in the wake of injuries to Joey Bosa and Chris Rumph II. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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