The Chargers have picked linebacker Donald Butler with the 79th overall pick (3rd round) of the NFL Draft.  Butler is a big guy at 6′1″, 244 pounds and he can play either outside or inside doing whatever the Chargers need him to.  Butler played in 12 games (all starts) for Washington last season and he finished up with 94 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, he had 1 sack, broke up 2 passes and he intercepted 2 passes.  In his four years in college, Butler played in 43 games (27 starts) in which he made 239 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, he had 3 sacks, broke up 5 passes and he had 2 interceptions.  This was a excellent pick for the Chargers as Butler can play either inside or outside and he will be a special teams ace from day #1.

UPDATE:  (8/31/2010) - The Chargers have placed Donald Butler on I.R. with a torn Achilles tendon.

The Chargers have lost starting center Scott Mruczkowski for the rest of the year due to a ankle injury.  He played in 14 games (13 starts) for the Chargers this season.  It was his first as a starting player for the Chargers as he has played in 58 games (15 starts) in his career with them.  28-year old Nick Hardwick will take over as the starting center the rest of this season for the Chargers.  He has played in 1 game (1 start) for the Chargers this season.  He has now played in 69 games (all starts) in his six years with the Chargers.  Hardwick should do a decent job for the Chargers.

The Chargers have lost NT Ogemdi Nwagbuo for the season due to a ankle injury.  Nwagbuo played in 12 games for the Chargers this season and he made 19 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 2 passes defensed.  The Chargers have signed 30-year old DT Antonio Garay off the practice squad to replace Nwagbuo on the roster.  Garay has not played in the NFL since the 2007 season with the Chicago Bears.  Garay has played in 14 games in his career and he has 12 tackles.  Don’t expect miracles out of Garay.

The Chargers have placed starting RT Jeromey Clary on the Injured Reserve List with a ankle injury ending his season.  Clary played in 10 games (all starts) for the Chargers this season and he will be missed.  He has now played in 42 games (32 starts) in his 4 years in his career with the Chargers.  Here’s to hoping he has a full recovery because he’s an important part of the Chargers’ future.

The Chargers have lost 26-year old OLB Jyles Tucker for the year due to a ankle injury.  He played in 7 games this season for the Chargers finishing with 4 tackles.  He has now played three years for the Chargers appearing in 26 games in which he has 53 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 9 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  This injury hurts the linebacker depth and the special teams of the Chargers.