San Diego Chargers King Dunlap might have a concussion

San Diego Chargers offensive tackle King Dunlap (77) drops back to block during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Chargers starting left tackle King Dunlap has been a revelation so far this season, but he has suffered an injury in today’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Dunlap needed to be helped to the sidelines, and trainers are taking care of him. ESPN NFL Nation’s Eric Williams reports that Dunlap could have suffered a concussion on the play, and that would be a tough blow for the Chargers offense and Philip Rivers, who has dealt with enough bad OL play and OL injuries.

Dunlap actually missed a couple of games with a concussion, so another concussion would be one of the worst possible things. The Chargers don’t have much depth at tackle, and one of the reasons why Rivers has been able to have such a great year is because he finally has competent blocking. After playing behind probably the worst tackle duo in the NFL last year, Rivers has been getting some solid pass pro from Dunlap and rookie D.J. Fluker.

Watching the 28-year-old transform into an adequate left tackle in this league has been really nice, and he deserves to earn more plaudits for his improvement now that he is with the Chargers. Although he occasionally showed flashes in a few seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, the monstrous 6’9″, 330 pound OT looked poor and never showed his upside.

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