Kenneth Murray, Justin Jones placed on IR

After missing the last two games with a nagging calf injury, the Chargers are finally going to bite the bullet and place defensive tackle Justin Jones on injured reserve along with linebacker Kenneth Murray. Murray rolled his ankle at practice earlier this week and went from a “questionable” designation to “out” fairly quickly for tonight’s game. Now, the second-year defender will miss tonight and two other games.

In his place, Drue Tranquill will start at linebacker next to Kyzir White.

In a corresponding move, the Chargers are signing 2021 undrafted free agent defensive tackle Forrest Merrill to the active roster to take Jones’ spot on the active roster. Merrill was a fan favorite during the preseason and will finally get his chance to show what he can do in a primetime game against a divisional opponent.

Jones and Murray will miss three tough matchups with the Raiders (3-0) tonight, followed by the Browns (3-1) and Ravens (3-1) in the coming weeks.