Promising Chargers LB gets season shut down before it even started

The Los Angeles Chargers received unfortunate news on Tuesday, as second year linebacker Junior Colson will miss the entire 2025 season after being placed on Injured Reserve. A disappointing outcome for Colson, who dealt with injuries as a rookie as well.

Colson was the Chargers' third-round pick from a year ago, one of Jim Harbaugh's guys brought over from Michigan. Many believed he could blossom into a potential starter along the interior of the Chargers' defense. It didn't happen as a rookie, with injuries limiting Colson to just 11 games where he totaled 29 tackles.

He had a solid summer, as the Bolts hoped he could follow the same blueprint that fellow linebacker Daiyan Henley took the year prior. Henley played sparingly as a rookie in 2023, then exploded onto the scene with over 100 tackles in 2024.

It's been tough sledding for the later selections of the Chargers' 2024 draft class. In addition to Colson being out for the season, Kimani Vidal and Brenden Rice were waived as part of final roster cuts. Cornelius Johnson ended up in Green Bay and actually led the team in receiving during the preseason, but was also released.

Colson will have to hope he can be healthy in time for next season to make an impact.