Chargers standouts Joey Bosa, left, and Khalil Mack form one of the most formidable defensive end duos in the NFL, but can Bosa stay healthy this season? (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times; Rusty Jones / Associated Press)
Joey Bosa knew immediately. When he rushed the quarterback on the last rep of a joint practice with the Rams, he realized he broke his left hand. The Chargers’ star defensive end had no idea what would happen next.
“A million” thoughts started racing through Bosa’s mind. “Most of them,” he said three weeks later with a surgically repaired hand, “are negative.”
For the Chargers’ supposed new era, the training camp injury felt like unwelcome deja vu. After two injury-plagued seasons, the four-time Pro Bowl player’s health is one of the key components to orchestrating a turnaround in coach Jim Harbaugh’s return to the NFL, because with Bosa next to Khalil Mack, the Chargers have the most formidable edge-rushing duo in the league to anchor a defense trying to bounce back from a 5-12 season.
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“We want to build on them; they’re strengths of our defense,” new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter told reporters during camp. “Let them affect the game, do things that they do really well and let them have their best years that they’ve had and try to let them thrive in our defense.”
Mack is coming off a career year. He recorded 17 sacks with 21 tackles for loss and earned his eighth Pro Bowl appearance in his second season with the Chargers.
Despite his production and feeling healthy as ever entering his 11th season, Mack accepted a pay cut in March. He and Bosa both reworked their contracts amid the team’s salary cap struggles with the belief that they’ll be paid back in full when it comes to what matters.
“I just want to win games,” Bosa said. “I just want to go out there and finally put together one of those seasons as a team that…
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