Chargers get slammed by the injury bug every year

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 23: Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry (86) makes a catch and is pursued by Dallas Cowboys safety Xavier Woods (25) during the football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys on November 23, 2017 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Los Angeles Chargers are crushed by injuries annually, and they are getting an unfortunate start once more with the Hunter Henry news.

The wise man doesn’t believe in curses … unless we’re talking about the Los Angeles Chargers. No team is seemingly besieged with major ailments more than the Chargers, dating back to their time in San Diego and right up through the present day.

On Tuesday, star tight end Hunter Henry was running around in non-contact OTA drills when he went down, tearing his ACL. Henry is seeking a second opinion but barring the miraculous, he’ll be lost for the entire season.

Of course, Chargers fans are used to these kind of maladies. In 2017, Los Angeles lost both of its first two draft picks for large chunks of time. Mike Williams dealt with a back injury throughout the summer and fall, only allowing him to play portions of 10 games. Second-round choice, guard Forrest Lamp (torn ACL), missed the whole year and recently had another procedure on that same knee.

Over the past two seasons, Los Angeles has watched star corner Jason Verrett become sidelined with both shoulder injuries and a torn ACL, limiting him to five games. In 2016, Keenan Allen had a ruptured kidney, cutting a phenomenal season short in which he recorded 725 yards in eight games. The following year, Allen blew out his knee in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs after going for six receptions and 63 yards on Marcus Peters in the first half.

The list goes on, but the point stands regardless. The Chargers can’t get out of the blocks, because a limb usually snaps or a tendon tears before the gun goes off.

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For Los Angeles, there may never be a better time to make a move in the AFC West. The Chiefs, two-time defending champs, are rebuilding on the fly. The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders would do well to be .500 teams this year. With Philip Rivers at 36 years old, everything seemed to be lining up for the Chargers to take their cuts at a championship run.

Maybe that still happens, but this season already feels like so many others after the Henry injury. Los Angeles now has to overcome, which is something it is far more used to than it wishes it was.