Chargers' Henry tears ACL in practice

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry suffered a torn ACL in practice Tuesday, the team announced.

The injury apparently occurred during a drill where he was untouched, and will end his 2018 season before it began, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The news is a devastating blow to Los Angeles' offense. Last month, the Chargers informed veteran tight end Antonio Gates that they do not plan on re-signing him. The team is left with Virgil Green and Sean McGrath atop its depth chart.

Henry was expected to play a vital role in head coach Anthony Lynn's and offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt's passing attack after a promising first two seasons. The former second-round pick caught 45 passes for 579 yards and four touchdowns in 2017. He caught eight touchdown passes during his rookie campaign.

It remains to be seen if the Chargers will dive deep into the free-agent market or attempt to fill Henry's role internally this upcoming season.