REPORT: Denzel Perryman to undergo ankle surgery

Los Angeles Chargers starting linebacker Denzel Perryman is going under the knife.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Chargers’ Denzel Perryman is undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left ankle. Perryman suffered the injury in Los Angeles’ preseason opener.

#Chargers LB Denzel Perryman is currently in surgery to repair a torn ankle ligament, sources say. Out 8-10 weeks, should return midseason.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 15, 2017

Rapoport says Perryman, who was originally expected to miss just 4-6 weeks, will likely be out 8-10 weeks. Chargers.com’s Ricky Henne reports a different timetable for the third-year linebacker out of Miami, per head coach Anthony Lynn.

Coach Lynn says Denzel Perryman is "going to be out for a while". Says maybe 6-8 weeks.

— Ricky Henne (@ChargersRHenne) August 15, 2017

Either way, it appears as if the hard-hitting linebacker is going to miss half the season. He’s a likely candidate for the injured reserve/designation to return, which Rapoport noted. In the offseason, the NFL approved a new role that allows teams to place two players on the IR/designated to return list instead of one.

Linebacker Korey Toomer will most likely start in place of the injured Perryman. Toomer, who was signed off the Raiders’ practice squad last season, finished the 2016 season with 75 total tackles (second-most on the team), three forced fumbles, two pass deflections, one sack and one fumble recovery in 13 games. The Chargers are lucky to have a player like Toomer, who shouldn’t be perceived as a downgrade.

It’s worth noting that Chargers linebacker Nick Dzubnar saw first-team snaps at training camp Tuesday, per Henne. Dzubnar, who played the first four games before missing the rest of last season with a knee injury, is more of an asset on special teams than on defense.

In other injury news, Chargers defensive end Jerry Attaochu is week-to-week with a pulled hamstring, according to Lynn. Attaochu also suffered his injury in the opener.

As for Perryman, hopefully he’ll come back in time for a playoff push. The situation reminds me of 2013 (a little bit), when Melvin Ingram tore his ACL in organized team activities, was placed on reserve-physically unable to perform (PUP) list and returned in December. The Chargers made the playoffs that year and Ingram made a big impact in the team’s divisional round win against the Bengals.