Thomas MartinezSep 23, 2026
Martinez expects the Chargers to place Charlie Kolar and David Njoku on injured reserve, to fill an opened roster spot by either re-signing Gary Jennings or signing Marquez Valdez-Scantling, and says Trevor Penning will start at one of the guard spots against Buffalo.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Thomas Martinez said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromMore than likely they will re-sign Jennings or will sign Marquez Valdez-Scantling to the 53-man roster.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- Chargers Week 3 Mailbag: Potential Moves, Herbert's Footwork and Offensive Identity
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1David Njoku — “placed on injured reserve”“The Chargers have not yet placed Kolar and Njoku on injured reserve but when they do, there will be two additional roster spots available”
- 2Gary Jennings to move to Los Angeles Chargers“More than likely they will re-sign Jennings or will sign Marquez Valdez-Scantling to the 53-man roster.”
- 3Marquez Valdes-Scantling to move to Los Angeles Rams“More than likely they will re-sign Jennings or will sign Marquez Valdez-Scantling to the 53-man roster.”
- 4Trevor Penning to be 1st on the depth chart“The Chargers will be starting Trevor Penning at one of the guard spots”
- 5Charlie Kolar — “placed on injured reserve”“The Chargers have not yet placed Kolar and Njoku on injured reserve but when they do, there will be two additional roster spots available”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Njoku — “placed on injured reserve”1 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Gary Jennings to move to Los Angeles Chargers2 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling to move to Los Angeles Rams3 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Trevor Penning to be 1st on the depth chart4 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Charlie Kolar — “placed on injured reserve”5 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 5 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
5 checkable claims — 2 roster spot calls, 2 trade and signing calls and 1 depth chart call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Roster Spot CallsDavid NjokuLos Angeles Chargers
David Njoku — “placed on injured reserve”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Trade and Signing CallsGary JenningsLos Angeles Chargers
Gary Jennings to move to Los Angeles Chargers
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Trade and Signing CallsMarquez Valdes-ScantlingLos Angeles Rams
Marquez Valdes-Scantling to move to Los Angeles Rams
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Depth Chart CallsTrevor PenningLos Angeles Chargers
Trevor Penning to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Roster Spot CallsCharlie KolarLos Angeles Chargers
Charlie Kolar — “placed on injured reserve”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd predicts Matt Stafford stays with the Rams rather than moving on, and says Travis Hunter may underachieve because they're being asked to play both ways — Cowherd doubts they're a No. 1 receiver and would slot them as a No. 2 receiver while being a No. 1 corner.Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd believes Matt Stafford's public negotiation posturing means he ultimately stays in Los Angeles, and he flags Travis Hunter as a high draft pick who could underachieve because trying to play both cornerback and receiver full-time will hurt him.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 93
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.
More trade and signing calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Patricia Traina · Trade and Signing Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Traina expects defensive tackle to be a top need for the Giants in next year's draft, and suggests the Giants could trade J.J. McCarthy next offseason — or keep both them and Jaxson Dart if the return isn't good enough. They also expect Dart to make a full recovery.Michael David Smith · Trade and Signing Calls · Keenan Allen · Hit 100
Smith suggests the Colts are likely to grant Josh Downs' trade request given their contract situation and their recent sell-off, and that they could also try to trade Keenan Allen.Noah Compton · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Compton expects the rebuilding Colts to keep dealing veterans before the November 10 deadline, naming Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs and Grover Stewart as the likeliest remaining trade candidates, and believes Indianapolis should and likely will move on from quarterback Daniel Jones, while Shane Steichen keeps starting Jones in the meantime.