With Chargers safety Atari Bigby out three-to-five weeks due to a groin injury and with only five weeks left in the season, the Chargers have decided to shut him down.
The team has announced that Bigby will be placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Bigby’s roster spot will be assumed by safety Bront Bird, an undrafted free agent who was cut in early September.
Regarded as an up-and-coming star in 2007, Bigby’s final years in Green Bay were marred by injury. He appeared in 15 games last year with the Seahawks, and Bigby has become a full-time starter in San Diego this season, with 11 starts in 11 games.
The loss of Bigby makes it even more important that safety Eric Weddle receive clearance to return from a concussion suffered at the tail end of that fourth-and-29 play, when he was blown up by Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin on a blindside hit. Coach Norv Turner nevertheless believes that Boldin committed clipping, even though it appears Boldin hit Weddle from the side. NBC officiating consultant Jim Daopoulos thinks the hit should have been flagged even though there was no obvious helmet-to-helmet contact -- it’ll be interesting to see if Boldin receives a fine.
