The Chargers made a pair of roster moves on Tuesday, waiving tight end Hayden Rucci and releasing tight end Evan Svoboda from the practice squad’s injured list.
Los Angeles confirmed the transactions in a post on X, where the team said, “we’ve waived TE hayden rucci + released TE evan svoboda from practice squad; injured pic.twitter.com/OfOnKzCwEz”
With those moves, the Chargers’ practice squad now lists Lander Barton, Andre Carter, Junior Colson, Amar Johnson, Josh Kaltenberger, Laekin Vakalahi (International), Terry Webb, Patrick Herbert, Kaiir Elam, Gary Jennings, Myles Adams, Daniel Brunskill, Luke Grimm, Jake Browning, Tejhaun Palmer and Jalyn Armour-Davis.
Rucci, 25, entered the league with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin after the 2024 NFL Draft. He cracked Miami’s active roster out of training camp, then was let go and brought back on the practice squad.
Miami later signed him to a futures deal for 2025, and his time there followed a familiar pattern of practice squad and active roster shuttling before the Lions claimed him in November. He went back to Miami after a brief stay, then landed on the 49ers practice squad in January after another release.
San Francisco signed Rucci to a futures deal for 2026, but cut him coming out of the preseason. He then joined the Jaguars’ practice squad before the Chargers signed him away from Jacksonville’s practice squad in September.
This season, Rucci has played in six games for Los Angeles and has one catch for seven yards and a touchdown.
In Other News...
Justin Herbert Trade Interest Just Added To Chargers Fans Misery
The Chargers rough start has only made every Justin Herbert storyline feel heavier, and the latest one only adds to the noise around a team already searching for answers. Herbert left the loss to the Houston Texans with a middle finger injury on his left hand, though X-rays and imaging showed no fracture, a small bit of relief in a season that has otherwise gone nowhere for Los Angeles.
Even with Herbert still central to everything the Chargers hope to build, his name has already surfaced in trade chatter from around the league. Before the Minnesota Vikings landed Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders, they reportedly checked in on Herbert, a reminder of how highly he is regarded even as the Chargers sit at 0-8 and try to steady a season that keeps slipping further away. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Quarterback Search Was More Aggressive Than Fans Realized
The Vikings quarterback search apparently reached farther than most people realized before they settled on Kirk Cousins, and it included a check-in on Chargers star Justin Herbert. Minnesota was looking for ways to stabilize its offense and explored several options along the way, including Daniel Jones and Geno Smith, before ultimately bringing Cousins back from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Herbert, of course, was never truly on the market. The Chargers immediately rejected every inquiry about him, making it clear he was not available even with the team off to a winless start, and his no-trade clause only reinforced that stance. For a quarterback-needy team like Minnesota, it was a reminder of how ambitious the search got before the final move came together. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Have A Backfield Problem Deadline Day Couldnt Fix
The trade deadline came and went with plenty of movement around the league, but the Chargers were left mostly on the sidelines as other contenders reshaped their rosters. Chicago landed Jeffery Simmons from Tennessee, Jacksonville added Jordan Davis, Jessie Bates III and Davon Godchaux, and the market kept buzzing around big names who never actually changed teams, including Justin Herbert, Khalil Mack and Tony Pollard.
For Los Angeles, the quiet finish only sharpened the sense that there was business to be done, especially with injuries and contract questions still hovering over the roster. The Chargers did make one move, dealing Daiyan Henley to Denver for fourth- and fifth-round picks, but the bigger question was whether they had enough flexibility to address their needs in a deadline that offered a few tempting options and no easy answers. [Read more 🡒]
