Chargers Sign DL Christian Covington to Active Roster, Waive DL Breiden Fehoko

The Chargers have signed DL Christian Covington to the 53-man roster.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley said on a Zoom call with reporters Monday morning that the team is signing defensive lineman Christian Covington to the active roster.

Hours later, the Chargers formally announced the move.

Covington, who spent training camp with the club, was released on the final cutdown day before being signed back to the practice squad. Now, he'll join the 53-man roster as a player rounding out the interior defensive line group.

In a corresponding move, the Chargers will waive defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko, but are hopeful to get him back on the practice squad, Staley said.

Fehoko, who won the job over Covington as the team broke training camp, was among the team's seven inactive players during Sunday's Week 1 game.

“There’s just some procedural stuff, the beginning of the 53 stuff that goes on, as you guys are aware of. We think a lot of Christian. We think he’s a really valuable contributor to our front, as we do with Breiden," Staley said on what went into making this decision. "As you guys know, it was very competitive for that spot. We see both of those guys as assets for our football team. Just felt like, for this week, that this would be the best decision."

Covington enters his eighth year in the NFL and his second season with the Chargers after spending four years with the Texans and short stints with the Cowboys and Bengals.

In his first year of playing for Staley in Los Angeles just a season ago, Covington appeared in 16 games, making three starts. He recorded a career-high 52 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble.

Covington figures to be the sixth interior defensive lineman on the depth chart behind Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson and others.

After coming away with a 24-19 Week 1 win over the Raiders, the Chargers will operate on a short week, having to travel to Kansas City where they'll face the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football.

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.