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San Diego Chargers were already without starting WR Legedu Naanee (hamstring) for today's game at the St. Louis Rams.
Unfortunately, they suffered another injury at the position. Fellow starter Malcom Floyd (hamstring) left the game in the second half and his return is listed as questionable.
The Chargers dressed four receivers for the game, so they're down to just three.
-- Adam Caplan
San Diego Chargers starting TE Antonio Gates suffered a leg injury during Sunday's game at the St. Louis Rams. The team has listed his return as questionable.
Veteran TEs Kris Wilson and Randy McMichael have replaced him.
-- Adam Caplan
San Diego Chargers rookie RB Ryan Mathews has been dealing with a lingering ankle injury, but that hasn't slowed him down against the St. Louis Rams.
Mathews has been the main ball carrier so far with just a few minutes left in the first half.
FB Mike Tolbert had been handling more than half the carries for most of the season coming into the game.
-- Adam Caplan
St. Louis Rams rookie WR Danario Alexander got signed off the practice squad this week.
It was expected the team would bring the undrafted free-agent along slowly, but Alexander has already made an impact.
Alexander, who has had three major knee surgeries since 2007, scored against the visiting San Diego Chargers on a 38-yard pass from QB Sam Bradford.
Alexander, who didn't start the game, already has four receptions for 72 yards in the first half.
-- Adam Caplan
The Baltimore Ravens worked out free-agent P Dave Brytus on Thursday, a source confirmed.
Brytus originally signed with the Ravens in May of 2009 as an undrafted free-agent, but did not make Baltimore's final roster coming out of training camp. Brytus also worked out for the San Diego Chargers last year, but was not offered a contract.
The Ravens also worked out free-agent P Glenn Pakulak late last month.
Both Brytus and Pakulak are left-footed punters, so is New England Patriots rookie P Zoltan Mesko, who they will face on Sunday.
- Adam Caplan
San Diego Chargers rookie RB Ryan Mathews (ankle) returned to practice Thursday and should be in the lineup when the team takes on the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
Mathews has been dealing with his ankle injury for several weeks, which is the reason why FB Mike Tolbert has been the main ball carrier for several games.
It's not out of the question that Tolbert continues to receive a lot of carries until Mathews' ankle is totally healed.
Starting WR Legedu Naanee (hamstring) missed practice for the second straight day.
- Adam Caplan
The San Diego Chargers and starting OLT Marcus McNeill agreed to terms Wednesday on a new contract through the 2015 season.
An NFL source said McNeill’s five-year extension is worth $48.5 million with $24.5 million guaranteed. McNeill will earn roughly $30.5 million in the first three years of the deal. However, not all of the guaranteed money is for skill. McNeill’s one-year base salary was reduced from $3.168 million to just $630,000 because he had not signed his restricted free-agent tender by June 15. It’s not known if the Chargers were willing to give him more money for 2010.
“Marcus is a extremely talented player,” general manager A.J. Smith said. “We look forward to him being an integral part of our offensive line for years to come.”
McNeill is in his fifth NFL season after joining the team as a second-round draft choice out of Auburn University in 2006. He missed Weeks 3-5 on the Roster Exempt list, but joined the active roster again this week and is eligible to play against St. Louis. He practiced with the team for the last three weeks after agreeing to an initial one-year contract.
McNeill earned All-Pro honors as a rookie and is a two-time Pro Bowl honoree. He became the third offensive lineman in NFL history to be selected to the Pro Bowl in his first season in the league.
The Chargers now have three players signed through 2015, including QB Philip Rivers, TE Antonio Gates and McNeill.
McNeill is expected to play his first game of the season this Sunday at the Rams, but the team hasn't decided whether he or backup OT Brandyn Dombrowski will start.
- Adam Caplan
The San Diego Chargers have signed rookie LS Mike Windt and released LS Ethan Albright.
Windt (6-1, 252) went to training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 after an outstanding three-year career (2007-09) at the University of Cincinnati. Windt was flawless in 395 career snaps for the Bearcats. A source confirmed Windt worked out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday.
Windt becomes the Chargers’ fifth long snapper in 2010. David Binn, James Dearth and Ryan Neill all are on injured reserve, and Albright snapped in the Chargers’ last two games.
Windt along with Matt Stewart, Kevin Houser, and Nathan Hodel all tried out on Wednesday.
- Adam Caplan
The San Diego Chargers have signed WR Kole Heckendorf to their practice squad. As noted earlier in the day, the Chargers signed OLB Antwan Barnes.
Barnes (6-1, 251) was a fourth-round pick in 2007 and spent his first three seasons in Baltimore and was traded to Philadelphia on Sept. 4 for a seventh-round draft choice.
In three seasons with Baltimore, Barnes tallied 20 tackles, five sacks and an interception off Philip Rivers when the Ravens faced the Chargers in San Diego in 2009. He made three tackles for the Eagles this season.
A Miami native, Barnes is one of the best players ever towear Florida International University’s jersey. He finished his career there as the school’s all-time sacks leader with 23. A two-time first-team All-Sun Belt choice, he made 224 total tackles during his career with the Golden Panthers.
Heckendorf (6-2, 191) was on the Detroit Lions practice squad in 2009 and went to camp with the Seattle Seahawks this year.
- Adam Caplan
The San Diego Chargers have placed starting OLB Shawne Merriman (calf) on injured reserve with the minor injury designation. The rarely used designation means Merriman’s recovery from his injury is less than six weeks.
Merriman, by rule, must be released by the Chargers once he’s healthy.
Merriman, 26, was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Chargers.
Merriman saw limited action in the season’s first five weeks. An Achilles injury forced him to miss the season opener in Kansas City. He saw limited action in Week 2 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. He suffered a calf injury in Week 3 at Seattle and missed the team’s victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4. He re-injured his calf last week in Oakland.
The Chargers now list four linebackers on injured reserve: Donald Butler, James Holt, Jyles Tucker and Merriman. OLB Larry English (foot) also has missed three games and is expected to miss 2-4 more weeks.
The Chargers have signed OLB Antwan Barnes, who was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 9.
A team to keep an eye on once Merriman becomes healthy are the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco, like San Diego, runs a 3-4 defensive scheme. The Denver Broncos, who are also in dire need of another pass rusher, play a 3-4 scheme.
- Adam Caplan
As first reported by FOXSports.com earlier on Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers have claimed S C.J. Spillman off waivers from the San Diego Chargers. A source said the Cleveland Browns also put in a waiver claim for Spillman. To make room for him on the 53-man roster, the 49ers waived CB CB Tramaine Brock. In addition, the 49ers released FB Jehuu Caulcrick from their practice squad.
Spillman (6-0, 199), was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played in five games as a rookie (1 start), totaling seven tackles. In 2010 with the Chargers, Spillman played in five games, tallying six special teams tackles.
Born in Louisville, KY, Spillman graduated from Marshall University where he was a two-time second-team All-Conference USA honoree, totaling 319 career tackles and three interceptions.
- Adam Caplan
The Chargers have signed undrafted rookie free-agent WR Richard Goodman to the active roster on Tuesday.
A 6-foot, 192-pound rookie out of Florida State, Goodman made a late push in training camp to make the practice squad. He caught one pass for 12 yards during the preseason but made most of his plays on special teams as a returner and on kick coverage.
San Diego did not have to make a roster move Tuesday in order to sign Goodman off the practice squad. The team released CB Fred Bennett and waived S C.J. Spillman on Monday as OT Marcus McNeill became eligible for the active roster.
San Diego now has five receivers on their 53-man roster.
- Adam Caplan
The St. Louis Rams will sign former University Missouri WR Danario Alexander (6-5, 218) off their practice squad sometime this week, a source told FOXSports.com.
The highly touted receiver had multiple surgeries on his left knee since 2007, and as a result, was not selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.
However, Alexander had an amazing workout for NFL teams in Houston prior to his signing with the Rams back on Aug. 22.
He posted a solid 4.46 40-yard dash time (on field turf). Any posted time of better than 4.5 for a player of his size is considered to be very good in scouting circles. Alexander also posted a 4.12 in the short shuttle. This drill is used to determine short area quickness. To get an idea of how good his time was, former California RB Jahvid Best (selected in the first round by the Detroit Lions) posted times of 4.17 and 4.18 during the NFL Combine. Alexander also posted an outstanding 411/2-inch vertical jump. A vertical jump demonstrates lower body explosion. It also shows he was able to push off his surgically repaired left knee.
Because Alexander showed no issues with his left knee in practice, the team felt he would be able to contribute this season instead of just bringing him along slowly and waiting until next year to get him on the field.
With WRs Donnie Avery (knee) and Mark Clayton (knee) out for the season, Alexander’s role maturation process as an NFL player is starting to become accelerated.
As expected, the San Diego Chargers activated OLT Marcus McNeill off the roster exempt list. To make room on their 53-man roster, the Chargers released CB Fred Bennett. The release of Bennett leaves the team with just four cornerbacks.The Chargers also waived backup S C.J. Spillman.
Backup OT Brandyn Dombrowski had been filling in for McNeill, but it's not certain just yet who will start this Sunday at the St. Louis Rams.
- Adam Caplan
San Diego Chargers starting WR Malcom Floyd is putting together a career game.
Floyd, in his first full season as as starter, already has six receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown grab against the Oakland Raiders today. It appears he's been drawing mostly CB Stanford Routt in coverage, not veteran CB Nnamdi Asomugha.
Floyd is averaging 24.0 yards per catch on the season at the moment with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter.
- Adam Caplan
