Chargers place tight end David Njoku on injured reserve; sign Marquez Valdes-Scantling
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Chargers placed tight end David Njoku on injured reserve on Sept. 23 and signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the active roster, the team announced. The club also signed long snapper Spencer Triplett to the practice squad as part of the transactions posted that day. Those moves appeared on the teams official transactions log and were among several roster adjustments made in late September.
On Sept. 22 the Chargers signed tight end Hayden Rucci to the active roster from Jacksonvilles practice squad and waived wide receiver Gary Jennings, according to the transactions list. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had been signed to the practice squad on Sept. 16 before his promotion on Sept. 23. The club has frequently used standard elevations and practice-squad signings to manage depth at tight end and receiver.
Earlier in the month the team placed wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith on injured reserve on Sept. 15 and signed wide receiver Greg Jennings to the active roster while adding cornerback Isas Waxter to the practice squad. The transactions log includes multiple entries for Waxter, including a standard elevation to the active roster on Sept. 19 and a reversion to the practice squad on Sept. 21. The pattern underscores steady roster churn as the Chargers address injuries and availability.
The transactions page also reflects significant roster construction activity on Aug. 30, when the Chargers traded cornerback Avery Smith to Seattle for a 2027 sixth-round pick and sent defensive lineman TeRah Edwards to Carolina for a 2028 sixth-round selection. That days entries show multiple injured-list designations, including placing FB/DL Scott Matlock and G/T Branson Taylor on injured reserve with designations to return and placing T Isaiah World on the nonfootball injury list. The club released and waived a large number of players as it trimmed the roster, and it re-signed P JK Scott on Sept. 1 after releasing him on Aug. 30.
NFL Sports Blog Take
Placing David Njoku on injured reserve is the most consequential move in the recent transactions because it removes an experienced tight end from the active roster and creates an immediate need for pass-catching and blocking depth. Promoting Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the active roster provides a veteran wideout who can help in the short term while the team manages injuries. The trades of Avery Smith and TeRah Edwards for late-round picks highlight the front offices effort to convert depth pieces into draft capital while dealing with multiple injured and nonfootball injury list designations.