The San Diego Chargers are dealing with a number of injuries at the wide receiver position this preseason after losing Danario Alexander for the year and Malcom Floyd until possibly Week 2 and now another man has gone down, as Eddie Royal had to be taken out of practice in an ambulance.
According to ESPN.com, Royal had to be taken off the practice field over the weekend after falling hard on his back and afterwards he was diagnosed with a bruised lung. Royal made a catch in practice and fell hard onto the turf and after getting up he made his way to a side field and went the ground. The wideout got treatment from team doctors on the field and according to the report, they gave him oxygen and at one point he spit up blood before being taken in an ambulance on a stretcher.
With Alexander out for the year and Floyd dealing with a knee injury, the Chargers can ill afford another significant loss at wide receiver. Robert Meachem said that after Royal was taken off the field the receivers said a prayer for the injured trio and it could be another significant loss for first-year head coach Mike McCoy. Meachem had an awful year last season with 14 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns, but now he likely will be one of the primary options for Philip Rivers along with Keenan Allen and Vincent Brown.
The offense has looked okay at times, but now the team is 0-2 in the preseason after losing 31-10 to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 and again against the Chicago Bears in Week 2. Rivers is trying to have a bounce back season after turning the ball over too much in 2012 and now he will have to rely on some other options to get things done, including Ryan Mathews at running back, another player with an injury history. McCoy is overhauling the offensive line to help Rivers and the running game and after taking DJ Fluker in the first round of the draft, the unit should improve.
Alexander was injured after knocking into corner Shareece Wright and is now out for the season and Floyd was also injured after a collision with Wright. The Chargers are dealing with injuries on both sides of the ball, as rookie linebacker Manti Te'o is still in a walking boot after getting injured in the first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. After losing to the Chicago on Friday, Te'o likely will play in the next preseason game after missing the Bears loss in Week 2.
