Los Angeles Chargers: Jason Verrett injury doesn’t sink season
By Tyler Schoon
The Los Angeles Chargers will look to dominate on defense in 2018, but without the help of former first-round selection Jason Verrett, that could be much harder.
It feels awful to type this headline for what seems like the tenth time in such a short four years, but here the Chargers are again: Jason Verrett has been lost for the season. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the news from training camp first.
Early reports cite a possible Achilles tear, which would be another costly injury for Verrett among a long history of leg problems. The former first-round selection has without a doubt had the worst injury luck in recent memory, and if this one holds as a season-ending injury, he will have only played five games in three years. Verrett is playing on the final year of his contract, which was a fifth-year option picked up by the team that currently pays him $8.526 million this year.
It’s a tough break, but do not be tempted to write off the Chargers for their injury issues thus far. Both Hunter Henry and Verrett are incredibly talented players, but are not as crucial to the success of the team. These aren’t a Russell Okung, Joey Bosa or Philip Rivers kind of injury with possibly severe ramifications.
General manager Tom Telesco has done an excellent job preparing this roster for an injury to the corner position, and has at least three strong options on the team already. What’s more, the Chargers have had an astounding amount of success with undrafted free agent players making the team. The loss of a player can often correlate to the ascension of an unknown UDFA. I don’t expect Telesco to make any significant moves to counter this loss.
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Fans should expect this to be the last year Verrett is with the team, as all eyes now turn to 2017 sensation Trevor Williams to continue to play well and earn the contract he deserves. The Chargers may be fortunate to know early on that they are moving on from Verrett, rather than watch him play an excellent string of games in 2018 and gamble on his health with a big contract at the end of the season.