It appears Joey Bosa's NFL debut will be delayed by at least a week.
After missing most of the San Diego Chargers' training camp and preseason due to a contract dispute, the No. 3 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft has not practiced since the day after he signed last week and is unlikely to play in Sunday's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs due to what general manager Tom Telesco called a "minor" left hamstring injury.
"I think obviously we're not optimistic right now," Telesco told XTRA 1360 in San Diego on Thursday. "It truly is a day-to-day injury … but our goal is to make sure it doesn't turn into something long-term. We're not optimistic for this week, but I would say we've been preparing other players to play since July 29, so that doesn't change now.
"I know Joey's desire to play is very, very high, but we need to be smart about it, too."
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It would have been quite an accomplishment for Bosa to be ready in Week 1 even if he was healthy considering the time he has missed, so the Chargers likely won't mind pumping the brakes on his return. He was not listed on the team's official injury report released Wednesday because he is currently on a roster exemption that allows the team to carry 54 players instead of the usual 53.
Darius Philon is expected to start in Bosa's place at left defensive end against the Chiefs.
