Report: Chargers wideout Stevie Johnson done for the season
By Brad Weiss
The San Diego Chargers will be without wide receiver Stevie Johnson for the entire 2016 NFL season.
The San Diego Chargers have had quite the preseason, as they have yet to sign 2016 first round draft selection Joey Bosa. On Wednesday, the team found out it will be without starting wide receiver Stevie Johnson for the entire 2016 season, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Johnson underwent the surgery to repair his meniscus on Tuesday, and although the surgery went well, it will take many months for him to recover. Last season, Johnson spent his first year with the Chargers, appearing in ten games. Making eight starts, Johnson racked up 497 yards, while scoring three touchdowns.
From 2010-12, Johnson was regarded as one of the better receivers in all of football. During that span, he had three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, while scoring 23 touchdowns for the Buffalo Bills. Johnson left Buffalo after the 2013, signing with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2014 season. He lasted only one season in San Fran, before latching on with the Chargers last season.
With Johnson out, the focus will turn to Keenan Allen, who was in the middle of a breakout season before lacerating his kidney last year. The Chargers also have Travis Benjamin, who will likely slide into a starting role with Johnson out. Danny Woodhead and Antonio Gates also figure to play larger role due to the injury.
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The Chargers will open up their 2016 regular season on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 11. The team returns star quarterback Philip Rivers, who is considered one of the top signal-callers in the AFC. San Diego, who was once the class of the AFC West, is expected to finish in the bottom of the division in 2016.