Following latest injury, Jason Verrett’s time with Chargers likely out

Should he miss the entire 2018 season as expected, Jason Verrett will have played in just five games over the last three seasons.

Verrett tore his Achilles on Friday, the first day of training camp. He will likely miss the entire season as a result. With that, there’s a good chance you’ll never see him wear a Los Angeles Chargers uniform again.

Verrett had a solid start to his rookie season in 2014. His first career interception came late in a game against the Oakland Raiders. Derek Carr tried to beat him deep, but Verrett made the play to preserve a Chargers’ victory. But late in that season, he was placed on injured reserve with a bad shoulder.

In 2015, he was one of the best cornerbacks in the league, leading to him being selected to the Pro Bowl. It’s been his only injury-free season with the team. He had three interceptions that year, one of which he returned 68 yards for a touchdown.

Knee injuries limited him to four games in 2016 and just one game last season. He won’t even suit up this year.

More from Bolt Beat

• LA Chargers: 3 early takeaways from 2021 minicamp thus far
• LA Chargers: Drue Tranquill takes a jab at Gus Bradley’s defense
• LA Chargers second-year players: Nothing to lose and a lot to gain
• LA Chargers: Why running back could be a big issue for the Bolts
• LA Chargers: Chris Rumph’s upside is Melvin Ingram-like, but better

It appears to be a tough ending for Verrett, but the Chargers have the pieces to make up for the loss, such as Trevor Williams, who played well in his stead last season. Desmond King is an exciting second-year player as well.

I wasn’t a fan of the team picking up his fifth-year option. I suggested that the team consider trading him during the NFL draft. It didn’t seem like most fans agreed.

Now, the Chargers will have paid a guy a large sum of money for playing in 25 of a possible 80 games. It’s sad to see him go down, but it’s not that sad when put in that context.

The Chargers must move on. Even without Verrett, the team still has one of the top five secondaries in the league and those players will make game-changing plays this season.

Verrett is expendable and that will be proven this season. His time with the Chargers is done. He’ll have to hope that another team feels the reward outweighs the risk next season.