Chargers tight end end Henry almost certainly won’t play this season; Bosa remains out

Imagine how good the Los Angeles Chargers might be if Hunter Henry and Joey Bosa could take the field.

Henry tore his ACL early this offseason but there was still some hope that the team could potentially bring him back for the stretch run. That’s why the Chargers chose not to place him on injured reserve, instead placing him on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS, any notion of Henry suiting up for the Chargers this season is nothing more than a pipe dream, noting that the odds of him returning to the field this season are “quite remote”.

With Henry out, the Chargers have gotten little production out of the tight end position, at least in the passing game. Antonio Gates and Virgil Green have combined for 21 catches, but Green is primarily a blocker and Gates is aging and nowhere near as effective as he once was.

The Chargers lost a dynamic offensive weapon when Henry went down, and it looks like they’ll have to work through that issue all season.

However, that’s not a bad thing. If Henry were to push himself to return to the field in record time after such a devastating injury, he would be risking quite a but just to potentially play in a handful of game. It’s best for his future and that of the team to take as much time as needed to successfully rehabilitate that knee.

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

As for Joey Bosa, it remains unclear when he’ll be back this season, or even if he will be.

Bosa was injured early on in training camp and has been nursing his injured foot back to health ever since. Initially, it didn’t seem like it would keep him out of action that long, but it has turned into a long-term issue. There were some rumblings that we could see Bosa back after the bye week, but that even looks like it could be in jeopardy now.

The Chargers have worked their way to 5-2 after a 1-2 start, but there is no doubt that Henry and Bosa are two of the best players on the team. The Chargers have been able to mask the fact that those two guys have been missing to this point, but can they reach the promised land without them?