For the second straight year, the Chargers are going to have to play most of the season without starting cornerback Jason Verrett.
According to ESPN.com, Verrett has made the decision to undergo season-ending knee surgery. The Chargers are expected to put Verrett on injured reserve at some point in the near future.
Verrett missed a total of 12 games last season after suffering a partially torn ACL in his left knee in Week 4. Apparently, that same leg has still been giving him trouble.
To help the corner heal and get back into football shape, the Chargers tried to take it easy with Verrett during training camp this year. The cornerback was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start camp, and then ended up only playing in one of the team's preseason games.
Verrett appeared to be healthy going into the start of the season, but then he experienced some soreness in his knee following the Chargers' 24-21 season-opening loss to the Broncos.
As the Chargers prepared for their Week 2 game against the Dolphins, Los Angeles coach Anthony Lynn said he felt that something was off about Verrett.
"It was never right in my opinion, just watching him in practice," Lynn said this week, via ESPN.com. "He's such a competitor. ... But he wasn't able to play to his standard. So we just want him to get healthy."
Verrett ended up not playing against the Dolphins, and now he won't be on the field again until the Chargers 2018 opener at the earliest.
Since being selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Verrett has struggled to stay healthy. He only played in six games during his rookie season, and due to this injury, he'll only play in a total of five out of 32 games in 2016-17.
Verrett's only healthy season came in 2015 when he started 14 games for the Chargers and earned a Pro Bowl nod. Despite his injury history, the Chargers are tied to him for at least one more year. The team picked up his fifth-year option for the 2018 season back in May.
With Verrett done for the year, Trevor Williams is expected to take his place on the Chargers' defense. Williams started against the Dolphins on Sunday and Lynn thought the second-year corner "looked good."
