The Chargers placed RB Austin Ekeler on injured reserve and signed former Jets back Kalen Ballage to their practice squad, the team announced Friday.
Ekeler, who injured his hamstring in Week 4, will miss his team’s matchup against the Jets in Week 6. On the season, the Chargers’ lead back has 49 carries for 248 yards and a score. Without Ekeler, a cross country trip for the Jets defense makes it that much easier with a rookie quarterback in Justin Herbert under center for Los Angeles.
Ballage found a new home in less than a week. The Jets cut him after their 37-28 loss against Denver. He missed mutiple blocks in pass protection, which led to two Sam Darnold sacks. Ballage also inexplicably ran out of bounds when he could’ve potentially had a first down on New York’s final drive of the game.
Ballage was originally acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins for a 2021 conditional seventh-round pick, but the trade fell through when Ballage failed his physical. New York later signed him as a free agent when Le’Veon Bell went down with a hamstring injury of his own.
In three games, Ballage had nine carries for 67 yards to go along with 13 rushing yards. He saw some snaps on special teams as a gunner but didn’t record a tackle.
