The Los Angeles Chargers today activated outside linebacker Joey Bosa and linebacker Drue Tranquill from Reserve/COVID-19. The team also activated defensive lineman Andrew Brown (standard elevation), defensive lineman Forrest Merrill (standard elevation) and cornerback Kiondre Thomas (COVID-19 elevation) for Sunday's game.
A team captain and three-time Pro Bowl selection, Bosa is among the game's most dangerous pass rushers. In 72 career games, he has registered 53 sacks, 120 quarterback hits, 71 tackles for loss, nine forced fumbles and three recoveries. Bosa was recognized as an All-Pro by Sporting News each of the past two seasons. He has 5.5 sacks in nine starts this year, including a league-leading three strip-sacks. Bosa was the consensus 2016 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and set an NFL record for the most sacks (19.0) by a player in the first 20 games of a career.
Tranquill was originally a fourth-round selection by the Chargers in the 2019 NFL Draft, emerging on the scene as a special teams presence and earning All-Rookie recognition from the Professional Football Writers of America. He has played in 23 career games and made six starts at linebacker, totaling 104 tackles (74 total), seven tackles for loss, a half-sack and a pass defensed. Tranquill has 39 tackles this season and has put forth three performances of eight or more tackles.
Brown is a third-year defensive lineman out of Virginia. He entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick by Cincinnati in the 2018 NFL Draft and has appeared in 21 career games with the Bengals and Houston Texans. Brown had a four-yard sack for the Bengals last season on defense. In four collegiate seasons with the Cavaliers, Brown totaled 94 tackles and 10.5 sacks.
In two games with the Bolts this year, Merrill has posted three tackles (two solo). The rookie defensive lineman signed with Los Angeles as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas State this offseason. In three seasons for the Red Wolves, he twice earning second-team All-Sun Belt Conference recognition and totaled 121 tackles (51 solo), 18.5 tackles and 10 sacks while also forcing a pair of fumbles and recovering another two.
Thomas has appeared in two games for the Chargers this season. He signed to the Los Angeles practice squad in September and spent the offseason with Cleveland after signing with the Browns as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State. Thomas played the 2020 season for the Wildcats after spending three years (2017-19) at Minnesota. In 40 career games at the collegiate level, he totaled 102 tackles (86 solo), an interception, 11 passes defensed, a forced fumble and a recovery.
