Yet another key Charger will head to IR. The team placed Travis Benjamin on its injured list Thursday, due to a quadriceps injury. The Bolts signed defensive lineman T.Y. McGill to take Benjamin’s roster spot.
The Chargers and Benjamin agreed to an extension this year. The veteran wide receiver is now signed through the 2020 season. Despite the other injuries the Bolts have suffered at wideout, the 29-year-old Benjamin has only caught six passes for 30 yards in five games.
Benjamin joins Derwin James, Mike Pouncey, Adrian Phillips and Dontrelle Inman on Los Angeles’ IR list. Among the Bolts’ receiving corps, Inman, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have battled injuries since training camp. The Bolts have also been without Russell Okung and Melvin Gordon for extensive stretches, though the former has returned to practice. All of these absences have obviously weakened the Chargers, whose four losses match their 2018 season-long total.
This is Benjamin’s fourth season as a Charger. His yardage total has decreased each year. That stands to continue, with the veteran now being unable to return until at least mid-December because of this transaction. A former UDFA, McGill played in four games for the 2018 Chargers. He has not played in 2019.