:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65226554/usa_today_13331698.0.jpg)
For the Los Angeles Chargers today, the bad news just keeps on coming. Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times has reported via Twitter that their star tight end Hunter Henry has suffered a knee injury:
#Chargers also just announced this: "Hunter Henry suffered a tibia plateau fracture to his left knee during last Sunday’s game versus the Indianapolis Colts.
— Jeff Miller (@JeffMillerLAT) September 11, 2019
Henry will continue to be evaluated, and the timeframe for his return has not yet been determined."
A tibia plateau fracture to the left knee certainly does not sound like something that Henry will be walking off. We do not yet know the severity or what the time table is for returning from this injury, but this certainly explains why there was news of Luke Willson working out with the team yesterday. In 2017, J.J. Watt suffered a similar injury and missed the rest of the season, so there is not a great deal of reason for optimism.
The Chargers were absolutely counting on Henry this year with the absence of Tyrell Williams and retirement of Antonio Gates. Virgil Green and Sean Culkin are not starting caliber tight ends in the National Football League, so if Henry is actually to miss substantial time, the team will need to make a move.
UPDATE: This news is apparently not as terrible as it could have been as Adam Schefter is reporting that Henry is expected to only miss 4 to 6 weeks:
Chargers have thought that TE Hunter Henry’s knee injury would sideline him 4-6 weeks, per source. https://t.co/OowiqnLOjh
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 11, 2019