Hunter Henry was a major piece of the puzzle for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018. Now that piece has been accidentally knocked off the table and slid under the fridge. The water wheel on this Scheyd-Yeaton-Kayes Sawmill puzzle is never going to look right.
If you ever wondered why players looking for new contracts don’t show up to Organized Team Activities, just look at Henry’s MRI. Tuesday, the third-year tight end tore his right ACL during practice. A good three-plus months before the season is even set to begin, this injury ensured he won’t play a down of it. Henry’s out for the year.
Stunner from LA: Chargers’ TE Hunter Henry suffered a season-ending torn ACL today, per league source. Did it during a drill, running downfield, untouched. Second opinion coming Wednesday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 23, 2018
Last season Henry caught 45 passes for 579 yards and four touchdowns. In his two seasons in the league since the Chargers drafted him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, he has 12 touchdowns. His production was on the upswing, so much so that Los Angeles let future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates hit the open market as a free agent.
Gates better have his phone close.
After finishing 9-7 last season and barely missing the playoffs, plenty of people are expecting big things out of the Chargers this season. Certainly the AFC West is there for the taking. Alex Smith is gone in Kansas City and no other AFC West team finished with a winning record in 2017.
After starting the season 0-4, L.A. won six of their last seven. They finished as the No. 4 yardage offense and the No. 13 scoring unit. Henry was a big part of that, not only with his offensive production, but his blocking in the run game and the fact that defenses had to account for him on passing downs.
#Chargers long-time TE Antonio Gates remains unsigned and the team had indicated it was moving on from him. Unclear if they’ll go back to him now. With Hunter Henry tearing his ACL, at the least they’ll have the conversation.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 23, 2018
Los Angeles isn’t without options at tight end, even without hitting free agency. Newly acquired Virgil Green was slated to be their No. 2 tight end. He caught 22 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown in Denver last season. At 6-5 and 255 pounds, Green has been underused in the Broncos’ offense for years. It could be this is his breakout season.
The problem is, behind Green, there isn’t much. Undrafted rookie free agents Ben Johnson and Cole Hunt join second year free agent Braedon Bowman and former UDFA Sean Culkin. It’s a veritable Who’s Who of Who’s That.
Gates rejoining the team is probably a foregone conclusion at this point and likely quarterback Philip Rivers is lobbying for it to happen. What I expect to see is Los Angeles roll with what they have, at least until training camp officially begins. They’ll take all these much younger guys out for a long test drive before sliding into the 38-year old Gates’ DMs.
49ers’ Foster off the hook
Two felony chargers of domestic violence were dropped against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster around an hour ago, according to ESPN.
The judge in the case, Nona L. Klippen, said their was “insufficient cause” to believe that Foster “inflicted great bodily injury” or “forcefully attempted to prevent a victim from reporting a crime” and there was a distinct lack of evidence against Foster.
BREAKING: Judge rules there is insufficient evidence to proceed with domestic violence charges against Reuben Foster. He no longer faces those charges, seemingly clearing way for his return to the #49ers.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) May 23, 2018
Foster’s charge of owning an unregistered firearm was reduced to a misdemeanor.
Considering Foster was found innocent here and the judge herself says there was no evidence against him, he can probably expect a lengthy suspension from Roger Goodell and the NFL. Because everything is awful.
“The organization is aware the domestic violence charges against Reuben Foster were dismissed earlier today,” 49ers GM John Lynch said a statement. “As a result, he will have the opportunity to rejoin the team tomorrow. It has been made clear to Reuben that his place on this team is one that must continue to be earned. We will continue to monitor the remaining misdemeanor charge.”
Foster played in 10 games last season, his rookie year. He recorded 72 tackles and one pass defense.
