Chargers put Trey Lance on IR before Broncos game

The Chargers made the moves official the day before kickoff: 2 players back from IR, 2 more going on it.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

Chargers activated fullback/defensive lineman Scott Matlock and guard/tackle Branson Taylor from injured reserve; they also placed quarterback Trey Lance and offensive lineman Trevor Penning on injured reserve.

Lance was the one everybody saw coming. He suited up against Seattle in Week 4 and got in limited practice work this week, but the groin landed him on the injury report as doubtful for Denver. Going on IR turns 1 missed game into at least 4. For a guy in his 6th NFL season who still hasn't shaken the bust label from his San Francisco days, it's another chunk of a season gone to the trainer's room.

Penning's injury is the more worrying one for this team. He took a concussion against the Seahawks in Week 4, and if it's serious enough for IR, he's out at least a month. That's one more body gone from an offensive line already listing right tackle Joe Alt out with a neck injury and left guard Kayode Awosika out with a fibula injury, and that's not counting the guys who were already on IR.

Then there's the rest of the list. Derwin James Jr. (hamstring), Quentin Johnston (chest), Donte Jackson (hamstring) and Brenen Thompson (quad) are all ruled out for Week 5, and the Chargers came into the week with 9 players on IR before Saturday's moves. The beat coverage has gone from asking who's healthy to asking how the hell this keeps happening to a team that sells itself on being cutting edge with analytics and sports science.

So the reinforcements are mostly depth. Scott Matlock, a 2023 6th-rounder who plays both fullback and defensive line, and Branson Taylor, a 2025 6th-round guard/tackle, both come back off IR. The open roster spot went to a receiver, and the team pulled 2 more from the practice squad for Sunday.

Aaron Wilson

@AaronWilson_NFL

#Chargers signed Theo Wease to 53, elevated Daniel Brunskill, Isas Waxter

Wease is an undrafted rookie out of Miami who had 60 catches for 884 yards at Missouri in 2024, and he's getting called up because the receiver room is getting thin. Daniel Brunskill is the vet of the bunch, with 71 starts in 108 career games for the 49ers, Titans and Dolphins, and he comes up to plug the line. Isas Waxter, an undrafted corner out of Villanova, gets elevated with Jackson out.

None of this fixes 0-4. Going to Denver with this many starters in street clothes is bad enough, and losing to the Broncos would make it 0-5. The thing to watch is whether this IR list finally stops getting longer, or whether next Saturday brings another round of moves just like this one.