LOS ANGELES _ Anthony Lynn labeled his versatility "huge," likened his presence to being "a coach on the field" and called him "the captain of that secondary."
The Los Angeles Chargers lost all that Sunday when safety Adrian Phillips suffered a broken right arm.
An All-Pro player on special teams in 2018, Phillips will be placed on injured reserve and, therefore, miss at least the next eight weeks.
Lynn said he does believe Phillips will be able to return at some point this season.
The loss means the Chargers are missing three of their seven Pro Bowlers from last season, the others being Derwin James (foot) and Melvin Gordon (contract holdout).
They now have seven starters either out or dealing with injuries that have cost them games. That group includes left tackle Russell Okung (blood clots), tight end Hunter Henry (knee), cornerback Michael Davis (hamstring) and kicker Michael Badgley (groin).
Only Badgley is considered close to returning.
"We're going to compete every single week," Lynn said. "That's one thing we're going to do. We're going to try to get those guys healthy and maybe get them back later."
Under league rules, only two players can return after being placed on IR. The Chargers are saving one of those spots for James. The other, presumably, would go to Phillips, depending on how he recovers from this injury.
He was hurt in the fourth quarter of the Chargers' 13-10 loss at Detroit. Later in the same series, the Lions scored the winning touchdown on a 31-yard reception by Kenny Golladay.
Phillips started the first two games at strong safety in place of James. On Sunday, he also was charged with calling the defensive signals.
After Phillips departed, he was replaced by starting free safety Rayshawn Jenkins and Jaylen Watkins entered at free safety. Lynn said that's not necessarily how the Chargers will proceed for their game Sunday against Houston at Dignity Health Sports Park.
"We're looking at different combinations to see what best fits our team," he explained, before adding, "We'll do what's best for our defense, I can tell you that."
Nickel cornerback Desmond King also has played safety. Undrafted rookie Roderic Teamer "absolutely" is an option, Lynn said, although Teamer has been dealing with a hamstring problem.
The Chargers used a second-round pick on free safety Nasir Adderley in April. Adderley, however, missed most of training camp and has played only one snap on defense so far.
"There's a lot he doesn't know," Lynn said of the rookie. "Once the season gets going, it's hard to get a player caught up."
The injuries have mounted after the Chargers adopted a conservative approach by holding out many starters during the preseason, a tactic they employed in an attempt to keep their most important players healthy.
"Unfortunately, when you have cracked fibulas and cracked forearms, I don't know of anything you can do to avoid that," Lynn said. "It's just part of the game. These are really tough injuries."
Lynn dismissed the notion that the Chargers are in a bad place because of all the players they're missing.
"For right now, we have enough," he said. "I like to say all we've got is all we need."
But he did admit there's a toll that losing so many so soon can take.
"It creates a lack of depth," Lynn said. "We can't continue down this road. Right now, we're pretty thin at certain positions."
