Vincent Brown Injury: Chargers WR Suffers Broken Ankle

Chargers' Vincent Brown Will Go On The New Injured Reserve

The San Diego Chargers will place wide receiver Vincent Brown on the injured reserved list but, under a new rule, will be able to bring him back this season, according to the team's website.

The team is expected to label Brown, who injured his left ankle, as a "designated to return" player on the injured reserve list on Tuesday evening. That classification will give the Chargers the opportunity to bring him back to practice after a minimum of six weeks. Each team can designate one player per year who can return to the team from the injured reserved list.

Under the old restrictions, a player in Brown's position would have likely have taken up a spot on the 53-man roster. Placing him on the injured reserve under those rules would have kept him out of action for the entire season.

Brown broke his ankle during San Diego's Aug. 18, 2012, preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys and underwent surgery that will keep him out around eight weeks. The second-year wide receiver had 19 catches for 329 yards last season with the Chargers.

Here is a breakdown of the new injured reserve rules.

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Vincent Brown Injury: Chargers WR Has Ankle Surgery, Expected To Play In 2012

The Chargers have decided to try and keep Vincent Brown on their roster following his surgery to repair a broken left ankle Sunday morning, according to Michael Gehlken of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The injury, sustained in the third quarter of Saturday's exhibition 28-20 exhibition victory over the Dallas Cowboys, will keep Brown sidelined through a considerable portion of the first half of the season with an eight-week timetable. The Chargers have determined it's worth it to try and keep him on the 53-man roster though after Brown showed flashes last season in his four starts (13 receptions, 234 yards and one touchdown).

Nonetheless, San Diego could be forced to shut down the 2011 third-round pick if other injuries begin to pile up. A week six return is currently looking like the best case scenario but with some minor ligament damage could possibly complicate his rehab.

The Chargers were expected to have at least six wide receivers on its final roster with Malcom Floyd, Robert Meachem, Eddie Royal and Brown being virtual locks. Michael Spurlock, Richard Goodman, Roscoe Parrish and a handful of undrafted rookies will now look to step up and fill the void that was left when Brown landed awkwardly following his 18-yard touchdown reception in only their second preseason game of the 2012 year.

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Vincent Brown Injury: Chargers WR Breaks Ankle, Out At Least 8 Weeks

Per Kevin Acee, San Diego Chargers WR Vincent Brown will be out approximately eight weeks after breaking his ankle in Saturday night's game 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys. He will undergo surgery tomorrow.

Brown appeared to land awkwardly on his ankle after catching an 18-yard pass from QB Charlie Whitehurst. With his foot elevated, Brown was carted off the field. Prior to his injury, Brown had 2 catches for 32 yards on the night.

After a strong college career at San Diego State, Brown was drafted by the Charges in the third round of the 2011 draft. In the 2011 season, he played in 14 games for the Bolts and amassed 329 yards on 19 receptions.

Going into training camp, he was expected to take the place of former Charger Vincent Jackson and was thought to be out-playing current veteran WR Robert Meachem. Coach Norv Turner was quoted as saying, "He’s in the middle of having an outstanding training camp, and he obviously is a playmaker, so he’s a guy that’s going to figure real strongly in what we do."

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Vincent Brown Injury: Chargers WR Carted Off Field

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Brown was carted off the field against the Dallas Cowboys with an apparent foot injury on Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium.

The second year receiver out of San Diego State had his left foot elevated while on the cart, according to CBS' Clark Judge. It appeared that Brown got his foot caught under a tackler on the play in question.

Brown is currently being evaluated by the Chargers medical staff and is out for the remainder of the game.Before his injury, Brown had two catches for 31 yards on the night.

With Ryan Mathews already out an estimated 4-6 weeks with a broken clavicle that was suffered last week against the Green Bay Packers, this would be another big blow to the San Diego offense. Brown is expected to be a major contributor after Vincent Jackson left to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For more on Vincent Brown and the Chargers, please be sure to check out our blog Bolts From The Blue, our football hub and SBNation.com for all the latest news and updates.