Charger Report

Latest Joey Bosa injury proves Chargers made right call cutting veteran edge rusher

Former Los Angeles Chargers and new Buffalo Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa is already dealing with an injury.
Former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa warms up prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa warms up prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Earlier this offseason, the Los Angeles Chargers made a big decision with veteran edge rusher Joey Bosa, who the team released after nine seasons.

While Bosa was no doubt a highly effective pass-rusher when on the field, the 29-year-old struggled with availability, which made his contract impossible for Los Angeles to keep on the books.

While he did manage to play in 14 games in 2024, Bosa appeared in just 28 contests over the past three seasons, including five in 2022 and nine in 2023. Overall, Bosa played a full season just twice in his career.

After being cut by Los Angeles, Bosa latched on with the Buffalo Bills via a one-year, $12.6 million contract to replace Von Miller.

The Bills knew full well what they were getting themselves into with the signing of Bosa, and they were reminded of that this week.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott met with the media on Tuesday and revealed that Bosa pulled a calf muscle, which will likely keep him out for the rest of the spring. McDermott did say, however, that Bosa is expected to be ready to go by training camp.

"Joey Bosa will not participate today, he pulled a calf," McDermott said. "I believe it was late last week, Thursday I believe. So, he'll be out for, more than likely, the foreseeable springtime, at least, and then we'll get into training camp, should be good to go by training camp.

"Understand, it just happened late last week, so still in kind of the exploratory phase of what that's going to mean," McDermott added.

Bosa's latest injury just further proves that the Chargers made the right decision in parting with Bosa. Keeping a $36.4 million cap hit on the books for an injury-prone player who is set to turn 30 wouldn't have been a wise idea.

Without Bosa, the Chargers are moving ahead with a trio of Khalil Mack, Bud Dupree and 2024 breakout star, Tuli Tuipulotu, along the edge. Los Angeles drafted Kyle Kennard, who should play a depth role in his first season.

While that's a solid group, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Chargers add to it. Los Angeles has $26.8 million in cap space, so the team has ample funds to make any kind of move necessary to bolster the group.

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Mike Moraitis
MIKE MORAITIS

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who has covered the NFL for major outlets such as Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He has previously written for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and FanSided, and got his start in sports media at Bleacher Report.