The Chargers took a step toward getting two familiar names back on the field Thursday, designating tight end David Njoku and linebacker Denzel Perryman to return from injured reserve, according to the NFL Transactions wire.
That move starts the clock on both players’ 21-day practice windows before they can be activated.
Njoku, 30, arrived in Los Angeles after a long run of contract movement that started when the Browns made him a first-round pick in 2017 out of Miami. He originally signed a four-year, $9.5 million deal with Cleveland, then saw the Browns pick up his fifth-year option for roughly $6 million in 2021. He was headed toward unrestricted free agency in 2022 before Cleveland used the franchise tag on him, and later landed him on a four-year, $56.75 million extension.
After testing free agency this past offseason, Njoku signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Chargers. In 2025, he played in 12 games for the Browns, starting 11, and finished with 33 catches for 293 yards and four touchdowns.
Perryman’s path has been just as familiar to Chargers fans. The 33-year-old was a second-round pick by Los Angeles in 2015 and played the final season of his four-year, $4.776 million rookie contract before returning on a two-year, $12 million deal in 2019. He later agreed to a restructured contract that could pay him up to $6,487,500 for the 2020 season.
From there, Perryman signed a two-year, $6 million deal with the Panthers in 2021 and was traded to the Raiders for a 2022 sixth-round pick. He completed that contract, then joined the Texans as an unrestricted free agent before coming back to Los Angeles on one-year deals in each of the last three offseasons.
In 2025, Perryman appeared in 10 games for the Chargers and posted 47 total tackles, four tackles for loss and three passes defended.
In Other News...
Chargers Keep Backing Justin Herbert As Losses Keep Piling Up
Justin Herberts season has become one of the bigger talking points around the league as the Chargers have stumbled to an 0-7 start, but the message from the sideline has stayed steady. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel have continued to publicly back their quarterback, even as the team keeps searching for its first win and the losses keep mounting around him.
Herberts play has naturally drawn scrutiny in a season where little has gone right, and the Chargers are still trying to find a way to stabilize things offensively before the situation gets any worse. For now, the organization is standing by him and treating this as a collective problem rather than pinning it on one player, even if the pressure around the quarterback spot only keeps growing with each week. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face A Quentin Johnston Trade Problem Of Their Own Making
Quentin Johnstons uneven season has put the Chargers in a familiar bind as the trade deadline approaches. The former first-round pick has battled drops and inconsistency, and his role has become one more question hanging over an offense already searching for answers during a disappointing year.
The problem is not just what Johnston has done on the field, but what the Chargers already committed to off it. They picked up his fifth-year option, which makes moving him far more complicated than simply deciding he needs a fresh start, and it leaves the team weighing sunk cost against roster flexibility. With the Chargers record sliding and questions building around the future of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, Johnston has become part of a larger conversation about how long this version of the offense can keep going. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Deadline Decision Fans May Hate
The trade deadline chatter around the NFL is already starting to build, and the Chargers have found themselves mentioned in the same breath as a handful of teams that could be forced into difficult decisions later this season. With several clubs dealing with injuries, uneven records and the pull between competing now and collecting draft capital for the future, Los Angeles is at least part of the larger conversation as front offices weigh whether to stand pat or make a move.
For the Chargers, the focus has centered on whether a veteran piece could become available if the season goes sideways, with Khalil Mack among the names that naturally draw attention in any deadline discussion. But there has been no indication the team is eager to take that kind of step, and for now the more immediate story is simply how quickly the market could shift if more teams decide they need to think beyond this year. [Read more 🡒]