The Chargers’ offense received a brutal blow on Tuesday, and barring an impending second opinion revealing a different diagnosis, Hunter Henry will be lost for the season.
Henry suffered a torn ACL during a drill Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The third-year tight end will seek a second opinion on Wednesday, per Schefter, who adds this injury came during a non-contact sequence.
The Bolts have now confirmed the initial diagnosis for their top tight end.
Expected to make a big leap after the Chargers announced they would not bring back Antonio Gates, Henry will now be out until his contract year of 2019. The former second-round pick amassed 579 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season, emerging as the Bolts’ go-to tight end. He has 12 career TDs.
Gates remains a free agent, and with the calculus changing considerably for the Chargers this week, it can’t be ruled out the 37-year-old could be back for one last run with the team. The Bolts signed longtime Broncos tight end Virgil Green in free agency, but the eighth-year player rarely provided much in the way of receiving production. Instead, Green’s more known for his blocking skills. Gates caught 30 passes for a career-low 316 yards last season, but in the two games Henry missed in December, the future Hall of Famer totaled 127 yards and a touchdown.
This marks the latest setback for the Chargers, who have dealt with a string of injuries to skill-position players in recent years. Danny Woodhead, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have seen seasons nullified or disrupted by maladies in recent years. Now, Henry — who has played 29 of a possible 32 regular-season games as a pro — joins the list. Only the stakes are higher now than they were when those previous injuries occurred. The Chargers have drawn buzz as the AFC West favorite after re-routing their season from 0-4 to the playoff bubble last fall. And the events of Tuesday strip Philip Rivers of one of his top weapons.
Quick! Light up the Antonio Gates signal!
(85)
Now, we wait…
Bat Gates! Bat Gates! Bat Gates!
Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh…Bat Gaaaaaaates!!!!!!!
The Gates Crusader!
Bring back Gates?
Bringing back Gates makes the most sense but make no doubt this is a huge loss. Henry was matchup nightmare all over the field. Get well soon young man. I forgive you for 4th and 25 😉
Lmao Rebels fan I take it? Woo Pig bro.
Welcome back Gates
Pay that man his money.
You have to bring back Gates or sign Coby Fleener because Rivers loves his TEs. Maybe even Gary Barnidge or Mercedes Lewis.
Seems like big blow to team