The Los Angeles Chargers will be without a member of their defense for the remainder of the season after suffering a rare pregame injury. Linebacker Chris Rumph II suffered a foot fracture that is expected to sideline him for the rest of the 2023 regular season, according to NFL Media. The 25-year-old sustained the injury during warmups and was ruled out by the team just moments before kickoff.
While not uncommon, it is rare to see a player go down with an injury during warmups and it's unclear what Rumph was specifically doing that caused the foot fracture. He was spotted by reporters after the game leaving the locker room on crutches and a walking boot. In any event, L.A. will need to go forward without Rumph and lean on Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Tuli Tuipulotu, who make up the rest of the linebacker unit.
Rumph was selected by the Chargers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Duke. The Gainesville, Florida native has played in 37 career regular season games and totaled 39 tackles and three sacks over that stretch. In six games played in 2023, Rumph totaled five tackles and one fumble recovery while playing in 24% of the defensive snaps and 65% of the special teams snaps.
Los Angeles fell to 4-5 on the season with its 41-38 loss to the Lions on Sunday and are currently third in the AFC West.