LA Chargers training camp: Injuries hurt the team but should be expected
By Jason Reed
LA Chargers training camp has gone fairly well thus far. Most of the news that has emerged from camp has been really promising and the team, for the most part, has avoided any big injury bug.
That all seemed to change on Thursday ahead of the LA Chargers' joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers. Among other lingering injuries, both Chris Rumph and Joe Reed arrived in a walking boot, which is not a good sign for either player.
Rumph has become a favorite among Charger fans because of his relationship with Joey Bosa and Bosa taking him under his wing. While that is great to see, that does not mean he is going to be Joey Bosa-lite in his rookie season. He is still very raw and is a rotational edge rusher.
Reed's injury is a bit sadder as it could spell the end of his Chargers' tenure. He already seemed to be on the outside looking in and it would not be surprising to see the team pick another receiver over him with this injury. However, if he is cut, he should hopefully remain with the organization on the practice squad.
Regardless of what happens to either player moving forward, there was this big sense of grief among the Charger fan base, especially on social media. The Chargers have dealt with bad injury luck before, so it is understandable for fans to get bummed out when injuries occur.
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But they should be expected. I know, it is a terrible thing to say that we should expect injuries, but we have to look at the literal sport we are dealing with.
Injuries are inevitable in football. There is not a single team in the league this season that will have their starting 11 start every single game on both sides of the ball. it is a physical, grueling sport that is going to lead to guys getting banged up.
We should not expect the LA Chargers to be completely, 100% healthy to enter the season or all season long. Expecting there to be zero injuries is only setting yourself up to fail. The realistic hope is that the big names on the Chargers can stay healthy and that the players who do get hurt only suffer minor injuries not just for the team, but more importantly, for their own well-being.
These LA Chargers training camp injuries do not change the trajectory of the team.
These injuries are nothing to worry about as a fan. While it does impact the depth of the team, losing a rotational edge rusher and a backend wide receiver should not result in a team losing more games, at least, if that team is as good as we hope them to be.
This is not the end of the world, it is not the start of some injury bug that is going to infect the LA Chargers locker room. I get why fans think that way because of how much this team has dealt with injury-wise not just recently, but in the franchise's history.
But it is simply part of the game. Chris Rumph isn't the first player to get banged up during LA Chargers training camp and he certainly won't be the last. There will be a starter that misses time. The team knows this, the players know this and the fans need to know it as well.
The hope is that Rumph and Reed's injuries are both minor and they can return to practice in a short amount of time. If it takes a bit longer, the Chargers will be just fine.