Chargers to put LB Denzel Perryman on IR, expect return

The Los Angeles Chargers plan to place linebacker Denzel Perryman on injured reserve Monday but expect him to return this season, general manager Tom Telesco said.

By rule, players are only permitted to return from injured reserve if they are on a team's initial 53-man roster.

"He just had surgery last week so it's slow right now, but the plan with him is that he'd come back at some point during the year," Telesco told the team's website Saturday.

Telesco also discussed the decision to remove rookie wide receiver Mike Williams from the physically unable to perform list, saying he was "very encouraged" by the rookie receiver's progress as he recovers from a herniated disk. Telesco estimated that Williams was "maybe a couple of weeks" away from being able to practice.

Perryman injured his ankle in the Chargers' preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. At the time of his injury, the expected timetable for the linebacker's return was two months.

Korey Toomer and Nick Dzubnar are expected to fill the void at middle linebacker in Perryman's absence.Perryman, 24, recorded 72 tackles, two sacks and an interception in 12 games -- 11 starts -- last year.

Each team is allowed to designate two players on injured reserve to return as a result of a rule change instituted for this season.