Chargers Injury Report: Pro Bowl Defender Misses Tuesday Practice

Should we be worried?

Los Angeles Chargers star outside linebacker Khalil Mack was held out of the team's first practice of the week Tuesday, as the club prepares to do battle against the 7-6 Buffalo Bills this coming Saturday.

Per the club's official injury report (as shared by Daniel Popper of The Athletic), the 32-year-old Pro Bowler was deliberated rested ahead of the bout.

Tuesday injury report for #Chargers and Bills pic.twitter.com/8Y8CVFB2WT

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) December 19, 2023

Mack has been in the midst of quite a season.

Through 14 games this year, the 6'3", 269-pound Buffalo product has recorded 58 total tackles (44 solo), a personal record-tying 15 sacks, 11.5 stuff, eight passes deflected and five forced fumbles.

The 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is a four-time All-Pro First-Teamer and a one-time Second-Teamer, a seven-time Pro Bowl inclusion, a two-time Butkus Award winner, and a member of the NFL 2010's All-Decade Team. He is well deserving of some major postseason hardware, despite being stuck on a team headed nowhere fast. But having him healthy for at least some of these games to close out the season would be ideal for his awards chances.

It sounds like this rest is mostly precautionary, at least based on its designation in this chart. Playing out the year (or maybe just sitting out one of these next three games) should enable Mack to garner consideration for several year-end accolades, of which he's well worthy, despite the incompetence of the rest of the team's overall defense.