The Chargers won’t have Antonio Gates for the first four games of the season because of a suspension and it looks like they’re going to be without Lardarius Green for at least this weekend after he missed practice again on Thursday because of a concussion.
As a result, they’ve made an addition to their roster at the position. John Phillips is back with the team less than a week after he was one of the players cut on the way to the 53-man limit.
Phillips isn’t the pass-catching threat that either of the other two players are, but he’s a solid blocker who knows the offense after spending the last two seasons with the team. For his career, Phillips, who has also been a good special teams player, has caught 35 passes in 79 games. He’ll join David Johnson and Kyle Miller at tight end against the Lions.
The Chargers waived tackle Tyreek Burwell to clear space for Phillips’s return.