On Thursday's injury report, Elijah Molden popped up with a different designation than he had previously. In Week 1, Molden was largely healthy but still listed with the knee injury he was rehabbing from last season. He played in the win vs. Kansas City. This week's injury report had Molden listed with a hamstring injury.
There were positive signs on Thursday because Molden was at least listed as a limited participant in practice. Perhaps it could've be speculated at the time that he was just nursing something from the Chiefs game. But alas, that was not the case. While Jim Harbaugh was sparse on the details, he confirmed that Molden suffered a setback in practice on Thursday:
"Yes, something happened yesterday that he is working through," Harbaugh said. "And we'll give you more of a status update tomorrow."
The outlook for Chargers S Elijah Molden is not looking good for Monday Night vs. the Raiders.
Molden was listed as a DNP in today's injury report, confirming that he did indeed suffer an injury on Thursday which caused a status downgrade.
Harbaugh was then asked about Tony Jefferson and R.J. Mickens playing if Molden can't go. He said "both" players would be possible options without speculating further.
The good news for the Chargers is that CB Tarheeb Still (calf) was upgraded to full practice participation. LB Del'Shawn Phillips (toe) went from DNP to limited on Friday.
LB Denzel Perryman registered his second straight DNP on Friday. While we'll have to wait until tomorrow for official confirmation on his playing status, the vet linebacker will likely miss the Raiders game. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported a possible timeline of four to six weeks for his ankle injury.
With the Chargers' relative depth at safety, Molden missing one game wouldn't be terribly concerning. But it doesn't feel like he's gotten back to 100% following his offseason recovery from his last year's broken fibula and torn meniscus. A soft tissue hamstring injury is another unfortunate setback in that process.
We'll also have to see whether or not this impacts how often Derwin James Jr. plays at slot corner vs. true safety. Assuming Molden and Perryman are out, the Chargers will have to figure out their defensive rotations before Monday's game vs. the Raiders.