5 San Diego Chargers Players Who Need to Get Healthy During Bye Week

The San Diego Chargers need more than just one player to get off the injury report during their bye week. They need all of the help they can get.

Falling to 5-4 after a 37-0 drubbing at the hands of the Miami Dolphins, the team is reeling and in desperate need of a spark from vital pieces such as Ryan Mathews, Jason Verrett and Melvin Ingram, all of whom are dealing with injuries.

The bye week is a time to regroup and get more healthy bodies on the field, and it could not come at a better time for these Chargers. These five players would be a huge help as they hit the second-half stretch.

Ryan Mathews, Running Back

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Mathews sprained his MCL in Week 2, and the talented lead back hasn’t played a snap since. The Chargers need him healthy more than any other player on this list.

As the 2013 season wore on, Mathews was the star of the Chargers offense, moving the chains and wearing down defenses as the team dominated the time of possession. He ran for 1,255 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry.

That’s much better than the 3.1 yards per carry San Diego has mustered this season.

The Chargers need some reinforcements for a struggling offense, and Mathews is talented enough to carry the unit for extended periods of time—his herculean December last year is proof of that. Rookie Branden Oliver has done an admirable job running the ball, but it is clear he is a change-of-pace back at this point in his career.

Mathews will likely return after the bye week.

Jason Verrett, Cornerback

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Verrett, the standout rookie who has flashed shutdown ability, injured his shoulder in Week 8. He has dealt with nagging injuries throughout the year.

Verrett starting opposite Brandon Flowers gives San Diego one of the league’s best cornerback duos, quickly ending opponents’ drives and giving the ball back to Philip Rivers. When both haven’t been on the field, the Chargers defense has given up easy completions and numerous penalties.

The Chargers must have Verrett healthy to get back into the playoff hunt. Upcoming games versus the Patriots and Broncos are going to test the pass defense, and it will get ugly without the first-round pick on the field.

Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Verrett has a chance of returning after the bye, but season-ending surgery is possible if his shoulder continues to bother him.

Manti Te’o, Linebacker

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Te’o hasn’t taken a snap since Week 3 at Buffalo due to a fractured right foot. The rising second-year inside linebacker has had constant foot injuries throughout his pro career.

Te’o is reliable in coverage and gives the defense some much-needed consistency. Fellow linebacker Donald Butler has been a mess this year, and none of the Te’o replacements slotted next to him are having much of an impact. Opponents don’t fear the second level of the defense at all.

The only way for Te’o to become the Chargers’ leader in the middle is for him to continue developing his game. That requires him staying on the field.

He should be ready to go after the bye. If not, the Chargers must consider putting him on injured reserve.

Jeromey Clary, Offensive Lineman

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Clary hasn’t played at all this season, and the Chargers are hoping the veteran lineman will be able to recover from his second hip surgery in three months and suit up.

Clary is at his best when playing right tackle, but he can be a serviceable guard as well—he made 12 starts at the position last season. He would be a gigantic upgrade over Johnnie Troutman, the weakest link of the Chargers offense, when it comes to pass protection. He can also provide leadership and guidance to a unit needing it since center Nick Hardwick was lost for the year.

Out of all the Chargers on this list, Clary has the smallest chance of playing this season. He wasn’t ready to practice a couple of weeks ago, per ESPN's Eric D. Williams, and there has been little progress since. The injured reserve list is a realistic possibility.

Melvin Ingram, Linebacker

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Ingram is on injured reserve with a designation to return after injuring his hip versus the Seahawks in Week 2.

The outside linebacker has played little in his three-year career, and a torn ACL kept him out for the majority of 2013. However, the former first-round pick showed promising flashes in Week 2, tallying six hurries per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Ingram still has plenty of developing to do, but he can help Dwight Freeney shoulder some of the pass-rushing load. That would certainly help a secondary that hasn’t been able to keep up with wide receivers for extended periods of time.

Ingram is eligible to return after the bye and should suit up versus the Raiders.