SAN DIEGO � One was a rookie working to make his mark.
The other was a veteran re-establishing his.
Two Chargers were carted off the field Friday evening against the Cardinals, neither of whom will return this year.
Veteran tight end Jeff Cumberland suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the second quarter of a 19-3 exhibition win at Qualcomm Stadium. Guard Donavon Clark, a seventh-round pick, torn his anterior cruciate ligament in the third quarter. Coach Mike McCoy confirmed their diagnoses during a Saturday afternoon press conference.
This is not the first such injury for Cumberland.
He also tore his right Achilles with the Jets in 2011. So, the 29-year-old had a sense Friday of what he was dealing with when he felt a pop above his left foot while trying to chase down a Kellen Clemens pass in the end zone.
Cumberland, who impressed the Chargers with his speed after signing a one-year contract in April, was in the mix for a spot on the 53-man roster. Sean McGrath projects to be one of possibly three tight ends San Diego carries; Antonio Gates and second-round pick Hunter Henry are the others.
Clark, 23, is a physical lineman from Michigan State.
He played both guard and tackle in college _ Clark worked strictly inside here _ and made steady strides. He was a strong candidate for the team's practice squad.
"You saw the way (Cumberland) was coming on at the stadium at FanFest and the way he's being working throughout the offseason," McCoy said. "He was understanding the system and playing fast. You see his speed and the way we were going to be able to use him and the way he's played in the first two preseason games. It's unfortunate. Just running down the field and it went on him. That's a tough one.
"And the same thing with Donavon. That's a tough one. You hate to see that, guys who work so hard. They'll have a tough rehab ahead of them like all those injuries when you have to be (surgically) repaired to get fixed, but Donavon really was a young player getting better in the games, whether it was last week in Tennessee or this week. You saw things on game days that might've been better than what he was doing in practice. You saw him developing."
