An MRI on Monday morning confirmed what the Chargers feared Sunday. Like wide receiver Keenan Allen the previous week, the team has lost running back Danny Woodhead to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, a source said.
Woodhead will miss the remainder of the season.
The Chargers will be without two players they figured very well could go one-two in receptions this season. Last year, Woodhead became the first running back in franchise history to lead the team in receptions (80), receiving yards (755) and receiving touchdowns (six) in the same season. Allen could've finished the year with triple-digit receptions.
Safety Dwight Lowery entered the NFL with Woodhead in 2008, both as members of the Jets. So, as Lowery processed the injury Sunday while standing inside the team's locker room after a 38-14 win over the Jaguars, he acknowledged his personal attachment to the situation.
"I've seen where he came from and where he is now," Lowery said of Woodhead, who started as an undrafted rookie from Division II Chadron State. "Anytime any teammate goes down, it's personal. But when you have an attachment to a guy, it's a little bit more. And then obviously, with Keenan last week, that was a big one, too. ...
"It's just unfortunate. He works hard. He does things the right way."
The Chargers also lost safety Jahleel Addae to a fractured collarbone Sunday, sources said. Lowery has started beside him both games this season. Addae is expected to undergo surgery, a procedure that generally comes with a four to six weeks timetable.
Before the season, San Diego lost wide receiver Stevie Johnson (meniscus), running back Branden Oliver (Achilles) and tight end Jeff Cumberland (Achilles) to season-ending injuries.
Lowery, 30, is among the teammates taken aback. He signed with the Chargers in March, making them his fifth career NFL team and fourth in as many years.
"This is my first year here," Lowery said. "It just seems like a reoccurring thing, a little too consistent. How do you solve that? I don't know. But I don't believe it happens at this rate when it comes to other teams. Hopefully, maybe there is something we can figure out because we can have all the talent in the world, but if guys can't stay healthy, it gets to a certain point where it's not just, 'Oh, injuries happen.'
"It gets to a certain point in time when we need to take another approach. ... I haven't been a part of a team where it's happened like this. You've got Branden. You've got Jeff, Danny, Keenan, Stevie, Jahlil. Those are guys you're counting on going into the season. It's not just a law of averages. It's something that needs to be explored."
This is the second time in three years Woodhead was lost early in the season. A Week 3 ankle injury in Buffalo ended his 2014 campaign.
Woodhead tore his other ACL as a rookie.
His absence leaves Melvin Gordon, undrafted rookie Kenneth Farrow and recently added veteran Andre Williams as the team's running backs. Rookie Derek Watt is part of the group as a fullback.
Farrow could be more involved, but the Chargers are likely to explore adding someone before Wednesday's practice. If the team chooses to evaluate veteran free agent, a workout could be scheduled Tuesday at the team facility.
C.J. Spiller, Dexter McCluster, Ronnie Hillman and Donald Brown are among some notable available names.
McCluster seems especially important to highlight. He worked with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt in 2014 and 2015 while Whisenhunt was the Titans' head coach. The Chargers likely are looking for any addition made to be active Sunday in Indianapolis. McCluster would seem positioned to acclimate quickly.
This is Woodhead's final season under contract.
Despite the injury, the Chargers are known to hold him in very high regard. He is scheduled to become a free agent in March. A source said that Woodhead's other knee ligaments are intact, boding well for his recovery.
He will turn 32 in January.
