The Los Angeles Chargers today activated cornerback Eli Apple and wide receiver Simi Fehoko from Reserve/Injured; Designated for Return. In addition, the team placed defensive back Ja'Sir Taylor on Reserve/Injured as well as elevated safety Eddie Jackson and running back Jaret Patterson from the practice squad for Saturday's AFC Wild Card matchup.
Apple appeared in four games for the Bolts in 2024, totaling a pair of defensive tackles and a pass breakup. For his career, Apple has started 82-of-102 regular-season games and accumulated 380 tackles (312 solo), a half-sack, seven tackles for loss, six interceptions, 61 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and seven recoveries. He has also started 11 playoff games, including Super Bowl LVI and three Conference Championship games, totaling 56 tackles (46 solo), two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit and six passes defensed. He originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick (10th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.
Apple played collegiately at Ohio State for three seasons (2012-14), winning the Inaugural 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship with the Buckeyes. A freshman All-American and second-team All-Big Ten selection, he played in 28 games (27 starts) and compiled 86 tackles (56 solo), an interception, nine passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
Fehoko entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick (179th overall) by Dallas in 2021, playing 10 games for the Cowboys before joining the Chargers in 2023. With the Bolts, he has started four of his 14 games played, hauling in seven passes for 115 yards (16.5 avg.) and a touchdown. Fehoko scored the first touchdown of his career on a nine-yard grab from quarterback Justin Herbert in 2023 and turned in the most productive season of his career in 2024 with six catches for 106 yards (17.7 avg.). Over his four-year NFL career, Fehoko has 10 receptions for 139 yards (13.9 avg.) and a touchdown.
Over three collegiate seasons (2018-20) at Stanford, Fehoko appeared in 22 career games and registered 62 receptions for 1,146 yards (18.5 avg.) and nine touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Pacific-12 selection following his final year in Palo Alto, Calif., after catching 37 passes for 574 yards (15.5 avg.) and three touchdowns, along with a blocked kick on special teams. That season, he set a single-game school record with 16 receptions for 230 receiving yards (third-most in program annals) and three touchdown catches in the Cardinal's double-overtime victory over UCLA.
A two-time Pro Bowler selection, Jackson has started 104-of-111 career regular-season games, including 100 games (all starts) with Chicago after being a fourth-round choice (112th overall) by the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft. He started four-of-nine games played with Baltimore this season before signing to the Los Angeles practice squad, each of the Chargers' final two games of the regular season. Over his eight-year career, Jackson has totaled 486 tackles (371 solo), a pair of sacks, 10 forced fumbles, six recoveries, 45 passes defensed and 15 interceptions, including three he returned for touchdowns. He was an AP first-team All-Pro selection in 2018 after setting a career high with six interceptions and leading the NFL with a pair of pick-sixes. That season, he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November and NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 12. Jackson has made a postseason start for the Bears in 2020, registering six solo tackles.
Over four seasons at the University of Alabama (2013-16), Jackson was part of a Crimson Tide team that went 51-6, ultimately winning the College Football Playoff to cap a 2015 season that saw Alabama finish 14-1. That season, Jackson picked off six of his nine career interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns. He finished his Alabama career with 130 tackles (97 solo), a sack, 12 pass breakups and three forced fumbles.
Patterson, who made his Bolts debut as an elevation in Week 14, has appeared in 21 career games, including a start, with Washington and Los Angeles after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He totaled 344 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 85 attempts (4.0 avg.), while hauling in 10 passes for 73 yards (7.3 avg.) over two seasons (2021-22) in the nation's capital. The Glendale, Md., native spent last season on the practice squad for the Bolts and Commanders.
In three seasons at the University at Buffalo (2018-20), Patterson was a two-time team captain and had three-straight 1,000-yard campaigns on the ground. Patterson finished his Bulls career ranked No. 1 rushing touchdowns (52) in program history and second in rushing yards (3,884) and 100-yard performances (15). He set single-season school records with 1,799 rushing yards and 19 touchdown runs in 2019, tying his own record a season later with another 19 rushing scores. Patterson ran for 409 yards and eight touchdowns against Kent State in 2020, the most rushing scores by any FBS player in over 25 years, eventually earning recognition as All-America from The Associated Press and Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
