The Chargers have lost 29-year old kicker Nate Kaeding for the rest of the 2011 season due to a torn left ACL.  Kaeding played yesterday before leaving with the injury without scoring any points.  Kaeding has played 110 games in his first 8 years with the Chargers and he has made 173 of 200 (86.5%) field goals.  He has also connected on 343 of 345 extra points in his career so far as he has racked up 862 points.  This is a big loss for the Chargers.  30-year old punter Mike Scrifes stepped in for him yesterday and he connected on his only field goal attempt and all three extra points.

The Chargers will be without 31-year old WR Kelley Washington for the next six weeks due to a knee strain.  Washington caught 13 passes for 173 yards (13.1 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  He has now played in 91 games (8 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has caught 120 passes for 1,500 yards (12.5 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  The Chargers have the depth at WR to cover up for the loss of Washington until he’s ready to return to action.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Chargers have released Kelley Washington.

The San Diego Chargers have placed 30-year old TE Antonio Gates on Injured Reserve due to foot problems.  Gates played in 10 games for the Chargers this year and he caught 50 passes for 782 yards (15.6 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Gates has now played in 119 games in his first 8 years with the Chargers and he has caught 529 passes for 7,005 yards (13.2 avg) with 69 TD grabs.  Randy McMichael will replace him this Sunday against the Broncos.

The Chargers have placed 27-year old safety Pat Watkins on I.R. due to a knee injury.  Watkins played in 4 games for the Chargers this year and he had 5 tackles.  The Chargers won’t miss Watkins too much as he was just playing on special teams.

The Chargers will be without WR Vincent Jackson for the next two weeks due to a right calf strain.  The 27-year old Jackson held out until recently but it did’t hurt the offense much as they kept flying high.  With that in mind I don’t think they are going to miss Jackson much.  Jackson was injured in his season debut last week without making a catch.

The Chargers will be without 31-year old WR Patrick Crayton for at the very least the next 2-3 weeks after he recently underwent surgery to repair a dislocated left wrist.  Crayton has played in 9 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has 28 catches for 514 yards (18.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Crayton has been a godsend for the Chargers this season but if he had to get hurt at least Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd are back.

The Chargers have placed 25-year old WR Craig “Buster” Davis on the Injured Reserve List due to ribs and groin injuries.  Davis played in 7 games for the Chargers this year and he caught 21 passes for 259 yards (12.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 26 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has caught 51 passes for 558 yards (10.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Davis was a first round pick in 2007 by the Chargers and he had been a disappointment until this year.

The Chargers will be without starting WR Malcolm Floyd this weekend due to a hamstring injury.  Floyd has played in all six games for the Chargers this year and he has caught 24 passes for 513 yards (21.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Floyd has ably filled in for Vincent Jackson so far this year.  The Chargers will turn to veteran WR Patrick Crayton as the #1 WR until Floyd is ready to return to action.  Crayton has played in 5 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has caught 11 passes for 211 yards (19.2 avg).  Crayton will likely do a solid job while Floyd is out of action.

The Chargers have signed 33-year old kicker Kris Brown.  Brown played in 16 games for the Texans last season and he connected on only 21 of 32 field goals (65.6%) and 43 of 44 extra points good for 106 points.  He has now played in 176 games in his NFL career and he has made 252 of 326 field goals (77.3%) and 347 of 354 extra points good for 1,103 points.  Brown will be replacing Nate Kaeding who’s out indefinitely with a groin injury.  Kaeding has played in the first six games for the Chargers this year and he has made 7 of 9 field goals (77.8%) and 18 of 18 extra points good for 39 points.  The Chargers have also released 3rd string QB J.T. O’Sullivan to make room on the roster for Kris Brown.

The Chargers have placed 26-year old OLB Shawne Merriman on the Reserve Injured List with a minor injury designation (calf injury) meaning that the team must release him when he’s healthy enough to play ending his career with the team.  Merriman has played in 3 games for the Chargers this year and he has six tackles.  Merriman has now played in 60 games in his six years in the NFL and he has 232 tackles, 16 passes defensed, 43.5 sacks, 8 forced fumbles and 1 interception.  During his first three years with the Chargers he was one of the most feared defensive players in the NFL but the last three years he hasn’t been the same due to multiple injuries.