Chargers' reason for letting Joey Bosa walk already rears its ugly head

Travis Wakeman

Chargers' reason for letting Joey Bosa walk already rears its ugly head image

The Los Angeles Chargers made the difficult decision to release Joey Bosa this offseason. Though it didn't come as too much of a surprise given the details, it was still a hard pill for some fans to swallow. 

Bosa was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and with 72.5 sacks in his career, he sits at No. 2 on the team's all-time sack list, behind only Leslie O'Neal. It's not easy to get rid of a player like that, even if the move did net over $25 million in salary cap savings. 

Instead, it was the health history of Bosa that likely forced the Chargers' hand. And now, before ever playing a down for the Buffalo Bills, that is already an issue as he looks to become a force for one of the best teams in the AFC. 

Bosa has a pulled calf muscle that will force him to miss Bills OTAs and will put him out for the 'foreseeable future'. Head coach Sean McDermott said that he expects Bosa to be ready for training camp, but that's not an ideal start for a new player with a history of injuries. 

Knowing they couldn't re-sign everyone in free agency, the Chargers opted to give a new deal to Khalil Mack and turn to third-year star Tuli Tuipolotu to pick up the slack. Fourth-round pick Kyle Kennard could have an impact as a rookie as well. 

Chargers fans won't like to hear that Bosa is already dealing with an injury in Buffalo, but it became a fairly regular occurrence during his time with the team. Though it is unfortunate, the Chargers made the right decision to move on. 

MORE CHARGERS CONTENT

Chargers predicted breakout player in 2025 would prove team got incredible value

Chargers fumble in 2020 NFL Draft considered team's worst trade of last decade

Chargers trade prediction features a swap of former first-round picks

Chargers seen as top spot for one of the best remaining free agents

Chargers predicted as team that could acquire $68 million, 2-time Pro Bowl wide receiver

Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.