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.

The Chargers have lost 27-year old OLB Jyles Tucker for the year due to a torn pectoral muscle.  Tucker played in 3 games for the Chargers this year and he has 3 tackles and 1 sack.  He has now played in 29 games in his four years with the Chargers and he has 56 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 10 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  This injury will hurt both the Chargers’ depth at LB and on special teams.

The Chargers have placed 27-year old long snapper Ryan Neill and 23-year old linebacker James Holt on the Injured Reserve List ending their seasons.  Neill played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Chargers this year.  Holt played in 3 games for the Chargers this season and he had 2 tackles.  Holt has now played in 12 games in his two years with the Chargers and he has 12 tackles.  These injuries will likely hurt the Chargers special teams and they were bad enough to begin with.

The Chargers will be without 24-year old OLB Larry English indefinitely as he will undergo surgery to repair a recurring foot injury.  This will hurt the Chargers’ D a bit.  English has played in 2 games for the Chargers this year and he has 4 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  He played in 16 games for the Chargers last year and he had 36 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. 

Rookie RB Ryan Mathews has a high ankle sprain which could cause him to miss multiple weeks.  Mathews has carried the ball 25 times for 104 yards (4.2 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 31 yards (10.3 avg) in the first two games of his NFL career.  Mike Tolbert & Darren Sproles will share the carries with Mathews out of action.  Tolbert is a bull of a runner as he has carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards (6.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far this year.  He has also caught 1 pass for 13 yards so far this year.  Darren Sproles will be the lightning to go with Tolbert’s thunder.  Sproles has carried the ball 9 times for 37 yards (4.1 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 65 yards (10.8 avg) so far this year.  The Chargers’ running game will be in good hands until Mathews is ready to return to action.

The Chargers have signed 34-year old long snapper/TE James Dearth.  Dearth played in 16 games for the Jets last year.  He has now played in 146 games in his NFL career and he has caught 3 passes for 10 yards (3.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Chargers have placed 38-year old long snapper David Binn on the Injured Reserve List after he injured his hamstring in the season opener against the Chiefs.  Binn has played in 256 games in 17 years with the Chargers.

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.