field, McKinley said he's preparing for the bigger workload

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Jason Verrett has incurred another serious injury before training camp even begins for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The former Pro Bowl cornerback tore his Achilles tendon Friday morning during a conditioning test , one day before the first practice of camp. The Chargers will do more tests to determine the severity of the injury, but it’s another heartbreaking blow to a promising player who has been unable to stay healthy in the NFL.

After making the Pro Bowl during the 2015 season, Verrett missed 12 games in 2016 and 15 games last season due to a persistent knee injury. He returned to full practices during the Chargers’ recent offseason workouts, and he was thrilled for the opportunity to get back to the game.

Verrett has been unable to stay healthy since his Pro Bowl season. Three of his four NFL seasons have ended early due to injuries, and he has missed 39 of 64 possible regular-season games in his career since the Chargers drafted him in the first round in 2014.

Verrett had surgery to repair his ACL in 2016. He made it through just one game last season before needing another knee surgery when the pain proved too stiff.

Injuries have dogged the Northern California native since his college career at TCU, where he famously played his final season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. Verrett has remained upbeat and encouraged through much of his injury struggles, and he expressed optimism after participating in full practices last month at minicamp.

”I dealt with so much adversity getting here, and then the fact that I dealt with a lot of injuries, it’s kept me up to date ,” Verrett said last month. ”Whenever other people are going through injuries, I feel like I know so much. Tell them, `Hey, work on this,’ or `Work on that.’ I just feel it’s something the man above put on my plate so I’m able to be a gift for somebody else.”

The Chargers begin camp Saturday morning at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, California.

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Takkarist McKinley should be next in the line of the second-year breakout players on the Atlanta Falcons' defense.

He knows he needs to be healthy to make that next step and now he's trying to move past another shoulder injury.

McKinley has had surgeries on both shoulders the last two years 鈥?the right following his 2016 season at UCLA and the left following his 2017 rookie season with the Falcons.

A new problem, a bruised right shoulder, has prevented the second-year defensive end from participating in team drills for most of the start of training camp. He again was limited to individual drills on Monday.

The Falcons say there's no structural problem, but McKinley's status is uncertain for Atlanta's preseason opener at the New York Jets on Friday night.

McKinley said Monday he's never happy "when you're not out there on the field. When I play football , I'm not trying to be on the sideline, I'm trying to be out there on the field."

Coach Dan Quinn said "Takk" could be cleared for full participation on Tuesday, so he hasn't been ruled out for the game against the Jets.

The Falcons likely will take a cautious approach with McKinley, the 2017 first-round pick whose health is a key to continued improvement by the defense.

He had six sacks as a rookie backup in 2017. The Falcons hope he can earn a starting job and emerge as another player who makes significant progress in his second year.

"It will happen with Takk," Quinn said Monday. "We'll see that jump from him."

McKinley said Quinn has talked with him about how the team's other projected starting defensive end, Vic Beasley Jr., led the NFL with 15 1/2 sacks in 2016, his second season. Quinn also told McKinley about safety Keanu Neal and linebackers Deion Jones and De'Vondre Campbell earning Pro Bowl honors in their second seasons and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett also breaking out in his second year.

"But just because they had a good second year don't guarantee that I'll have a good second year," McKinley said. "The sophomore slump is a huge thing.

"Obviously I'm trying to be on the good side , not the slump side. It's one of those things where you've got to prove yourself to be better."

McKinley actually proved a lot as a rookie. After his six sacks in the regular season, he added two more in the playoffs.

"Looking back I should have had at least 13 sacks if I had finished," he said, adding he missed opportunities when he would "reach out with your arms instead of wrapping up."

Adrian Clayborn led the Falcons with 9 1/2 sacks last season before signing with New England. Clayborn's departure opens the way for McKinley and Beasley, now a full-time end after spending time at outside linebacker last season, to be the starting ends.

Even when he's not on the practice field, McKinley said he's preparing for the bigger workload as a starter.

"When I'm not there on 11 on 11, I'm trying to stay in shape and do things inside to get me prepared for the reps I'm going to have this season," he said. "That's probably the biggest thing , just understanding that I'm going to be playing more."

NOTES: Former six-time Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson visited practice and posed for a photo with Falcons receivers Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley. ... The Falcons have ruled out PK Matt Bryant (undisclosed injury) and OT Ty Sambrailo (right hand) for the preseason opener. Bryant, 44, was on the field during part of the practice. Quinn said Bryant "is coming along quickly but he's not there yet."

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