San Diego Chargers: 5 Biggest Takeaways from the Chargers' 1st Week of Camp

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With the first full week of training camp already in the books for the San Diego Chargers, fans may be wondering what the biggest takeaways are so far.

For one, running back Ryan Mathews is okay. You can breathe easy, Chargers fans.

The 24-year-old lost control of his BMW and hit another car on Monday but suffered only minor injuries. Thankfully, Mathews missed just two days of practice and dealt with some soreness from the wreck.

Things at camp went a lot more smoothly for Mathews when he returned on Wednesday, and the team is beginning to come together as a whole.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from week one of Chargers training camp.

Charlie Whitehurst out 2-3 Weeks

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Even before the first full week of camp got started, backup QB Charlie Whitehurst injured his knee in a veterans practice on July 27. The damage—a sore left knee and two to three weeks of recovery.

Whitehurst isn't a focal point of San DIego's offense, but that doesn't mean his injury isn't something to be nervous about. Suppose Philip Rivers was to go down with an injury at some point during this season and require a few weeks to recover. In comes Whitehurst with an already bum knee and he goes down as well.

Sound like a problem now?

Kyle Boller—Charger for a Day

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Kyler Boller would have been a nice veteran addition behind Philip Rivers, but he obviously didn't feel the same when he retired a day after signing a one-year contract with San Diego.

With Charlie Whitehurst out due to injury, the Chargers brought in Boller to make up for the loss. However, after just one practice, Boller made the decision to retire. According to North County Times columnist Scott Bair, a league source claims that Boller didn't feel as though he'd be given an opportunity to win the backup job over Whitehurst.

Bringing Back the Wildcat

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The Wildcat is back.

Ronnie Brown, a name synonymous with the Wildcat formation, was signed by the Chargers in early June to a one-year contract, but there was some doubt he'd make the squad after an abysmal season with the Philadelphia Eagles last season.

ESPN's Bill Williamson reported that the Chargers have been working on the Wildcat during training camp, and coach Norv Turner has said that the formation could be used three to four times a game.

The fact that San Diego is trying to incorporate the Wildcat on offense causes reason to believe that Brown will in fact make the team and be a factor. 

Former SDSU QB Back Home

The Chargers will be Kevin O'Connell's fifth NFL team since being drafted in 2008 by the New England Patriots. O'Connell is no stranger to the San Diego area considering he played his college ball at Qualcomm Stadium just a few miles from his alma mater—San Diego State University.

O'Connell's arrival doesn't shake up the QB depth chart, but he will split reps with rookie Jarrett Lee in training camp. If for some reason Charlie Whitehurst's injury develops into something more serious, then O'Connell could be in San Diego long term.

Free-Agent Injuries

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As luck would have it, three of San Diego's top free-agent signings went down in training camp with injuries. While those injuries weren't major, they did give fans a bit of a scare.

Robert Meachem suffered a knee bruise, Eddie Royal strained his groin and Atari Bigby strained a leg muscle. Of the three, Royal's injury will take the longest to recover from, as he will possibly miss San Diego's first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.

Minor injuries during training camp are normal, but let's hope things don't take a turn for the worse.