Less than a day after his Week 3 availability was considered doubtful, Melvin Ingram has been placed on injured reserve.
The L.A. Chargers announced the designation on Saturday amongst a number of other moves.
Ingram, 31, landed on Friday's injury report after missing practice with a knee injury. Prior to that, the Pro Bowl pass rusher was a full practice participant on both Wednesday and Thursday.
Facing and overcoming the obstacle of coming back from injury is a hurdle Ingram is familiar with. The former first-round pick tore his left ACL in the offseason after his rookie year. After being placed on the PUP list, Ingram managed to work his way back and play in the final four games of the 2013 season.
While there is no indication that Ingram's latest ailment is as serious, the setback is still devastating considering that the 31-year-old is playing out the final year of his contract and is in search of an extension. He notably sat out the first few weeks of training camp over this issue before finally reporting on Aug. 20.
Through two games, Ingram has compiled a pair of tackles and pass deflections, as well as an interception. With him out of the lineup, the Chargers defense, which has already suffered several blows, will have to find ways to generate pressure outside of Pro Bowler Joey Bosa.
Sunday's game against the Panthers would've provided Ingram with the chance to notch that elusive first sack and jump start his bid for a sixth straight campaign with at least seven sacks. That opportunity will now have to wait until at least Week 6 when he would be eligible to return.
