Junior Colson: Everything you need to know

The Chargers placed Colson (shoulder) on injured reserve Tuesday, ruling him out for the entire 2025 season, Head coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday that Colson requires shoulder surgery, per Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Colson faced high expectations upon being selected by Los Angeles in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he started just one of his 11 appearances, finishing the year with a disappointing 29 tackles (15 solo) and one pass defended. He'll now focus on getting fully healthy for the 2026 campaign, but being forced to miss all of Year 2 looks like a significant blow to Colson's odds of developing into a starter at middle linebacker.

Colson finished with 29 tackles (15 solo) and one pass defensed in 11 appearances during the 2024 regular season. Colson tacked on four tackles (three solo) in the Chargers' wild-card round loss to the Texans in the postseason. The 2024 third-round pick notched only one start in his rookie season, occupying a part-time role at linebacker on defense and contributing on special teams.

Colson (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports. Colson sustained an ankle injury in the Chargers' Week 9 win over the Browns, and his placement on IR on Wednesday suggests the issue is serious. The 2024 third-round pick from Michigan recorded 14 total tackles and one pass defended across six games before his injury. He'll now be forced to miss the Chargers next four games, with his earliest possible return coming in Week 14's matchup against the Chiefs.