The Los Angeles Chargers suffered a rather significant blow to their roster. On Saturday afternoon, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reported that former Pro Bowl center, Corey Linsley, will be heading to IR with what is being labeled as a non-emergent heart-related issue.
Linsley had already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders with an illness. Now he will miss at least four games. With no additional information at this time, it's hard to put a timetable on his return to the field. According to the report from Popper, Linsley will work with the team doctors and meet with outside specialists to gather more information on his medical condition.
The team reports that Linsley remains optimistic and is in good spirits, but is disappointed that he won't be on the field.
Linsley is in his third season with the Chargers after inking a hefty five-year, $62.5 million contract with LA in free agency. This payday directly followed his All-Pro season with the Green Bay Packers.
Linsley is likely in the final stages of his NFL playing career at 32 years old and in his 10th NFL season. While he may not be the same player he was two or three years ago, his performance has still been respectable.
Chargers have a big question mark at center
In Linsley's absence, the LA Chargers will turn to Will Clapp. The 6'4 1/2'', 311-pound center was originally selected by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Following the 2021 season, the Chargers signed him to a one-year contract before giving him another prove-it deal during the 2023 offseason.
Even though Clapp has been in the league for six years, he has just 10 starts under his belt, per Pro Football Reference. Los Angeles called upon him to make three starts last year, but the results were underwhelming.
Though some fans are optimistic that Clapp will hold down the fort in Linsley's absence, it's worth noting that he has never earned an overall grade of 60.0 or higher in a season during this NFL career, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Chargers haven't had much trouble putting points on the board this season, but moving the ball on the ground has been a chore since their dominant rushing performance in Week 1. The hope is that the big center can help them in this regard.
By the sounds of things, it looks like Corey Linsley will be able to come back at some point this season, but we obviously don't have all of the details yet. In the meantime, Will Clapp will look to hold down the fort for the LA Chargers for at least the next four weeks.