Chargers' bad injury luck continues with Perryman expected to miss 6-8 weeks

The linebacker underwent surgery after injuring his ankle in L.A.'s preseason opener

The Los Angeles Chargers just might be cursed. After an injury filled 2016, their brutal injury luck is continuing into the new season.

It's not just rookie receive Mike Williams who is going to miss a portion of the regular season. So is middle linebacker Denzel Perryman, who hurt his ankle during the team's preseason opener on Sunday. 

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said Perryman will be out 6-8 weeks.

"Denzel's going to be out for a while," Lynn said, per the team's website. "He'll be out (about) 6-8 weeks. He's having ankle surgery today. ... It's always a concern when you lose a player, especially a starter. It's football, so you're going to have injuries. We try and prevent them as much as we can, but they're still going to happen."

Six weeks from Tuesday is Sept. 26. At that point, the Chargers will have played in three games against the Broncos, Dolphins and Chiefs. Eight weeks from Tuesday is Oct. 10. At that point, the Chargers will have also played against the Eagles and Giants. That's not the easiest schedule to endure without Perryman. 

He might not be a household name, but he's an important player. A second-round pick in 2015, Perryman has appeared in 26 games the past two seasons, starting 20. In all, he's accumulated four sacks, 113 tackles and an interception. According to Pro Football Focus, Perryman nearly racked up the same run-stop percentage of Seahawks star linebacker Bobby Wagner last season. He was also the 10th-most productive pass rusher among inside linebackers who played in 25 percent of their team's snaps. He's not a star yet, but he's a key cog in a Chargers defense that finished 16th in yards allowed, 29th in points allowed and seventh in DVOA a year ago.

Look for Nick Dzubnar and Korey Toomer to fill in. Dzubnar has never started a game and Toomer started eight games last year. As expected, it'll be almost impossible for them to adequately replace Perryman.

Last year, the Chargers were decimated by injuries. Keenan Allen's tore his ACL, Melvin Gordon experienced hip and knee injuries, Jason Verrett had a partially tore ACL and Danny Woodhead tore an ACL. This year, Williams will be out with a back injury until at least October and second-round pick Forrest Lamp will miss the season with a torn ACL.