# Thomas Martinez: 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. **Claimed:** Sep 23, 2026 **Pundit:** Thomas Martinez — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/thomas-martinez **Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi/chargers-mailbag-potential-moves-justin-herbert-footwork-offensive-identity 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. > More than likely they will re-sign Jennings or will sign Marquez Valdez-Scantling to the 53-man roster. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **David Njoku — “placed on injured reserve”** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: David Njoku, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Gary Jennings to move to Los Angeles Chargers** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Gary Jennings, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Marquez Valdes-Scantling to move to Los Angeles Rams** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: not settled yet - **Trevor Penning to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Trevor Penning, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Charlie Kolar — “placed on injured reserve”** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Charlie Kolar, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - David Njoku — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/david-njoku - Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers - Gary Jennings — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/gary-jennings - Marquez Valdes-Scantling — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/marquez-valdes-scantling - Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/rams - Trevor Penning — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/trevor-penning - Charlie Kolar — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/charlie-kolar ## What others said about the same people - Nate Gosney on Daiyan Henley: After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/60272861-4ad0-4749-b36a-dcdf09b9213f (scored 0) - Colin Cowherd on Matthew Stafford: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/005e6ad1-bc95-49da-9db2-3a9da2d5041d (scored 100) - Colin Cowherd on Matthew Stafford: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2c1faeb3-7adb-456d-bd42-275be95269e8 (scored 100) - Tyler Sullivan on Los Angeles Chargers: Sullivan flags five Week 9 underdogs they expect to pull upsets: the Packers at New England, the Vikings over Buffalo, the winless Chargers over Houston, the Panthers over Denver, and the Falcons over Cincinnati in Madrid. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b01bc807-6ff9-460f-8ab3-c7506b54effb (scored 0) - Pete Prisco on Los Angeles Rams: Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dc43909b-bc7f-47aa-b208-5cf7c95844bc (scored 92.86) - Chris Simms on Los Angeles Rams: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/17eb747a-90b1-472f-bb6d-e71c0c69133a (scored 92.86) ## More trade and signing calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Chris Clark on Nikko Remigio: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/99521265-d5c0-4db1-b2a0-fe77908ea0b3 (scored 0) - Logan Lazarczyk on Kirk Cousins: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d0fd408a-7dcd-4e50-ac62-6b4510a8a800 (scored 100) - Logan Lazarczyk on Kirk Cousins: Lazarczyk expects the Raiders to be sellers before the trade deadline, suggesting Kirk Cousins could be dealt back to the Vikings and that benched interior lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson is a prime candidate to be traded somewhere. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fda03952-2ea6-4919-8114-0ebb127478d1 (scored 100) - Patricia Traina on J.J. McCarthy: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b638ed13-01ca-4ea6-9384-ec7130f912c1 (scored 100) - Michael David Smith on Keenan Allen: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/52d7108f-f754-44e8-9bf3-cc3336b4e5f7 (scored 100) - Noah Compton on Josh Downs: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/97a66c60-b5a2-4503-a0c2-aa0181552557 (scored 100) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=thomas-martinez