The San Diego Chargers 24-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday came at a heavy cost. Kicker Nate Kaeding tore a ligament in his left knee and was placed on the season-ending injury reserve list. Defensive end Luis Castillo broke the tibia in his left leg and will be out for an indefinite period of time. The effect of these two injuries, plus running back Mike Tolbert who suffered a minor knee strain, have already had a major impact on the Chargers roster.

While it is true that each injury creates an opportunity for other players to step up and prove themselves, frequent injuries also result in players losing jobs unrelated to the position of the injured player. This scenario happened twice this week for the Chargers. Castillo underwent an operation to repair his tibia on Tuesday. He was not placed the IR list. “We are going to give him a chance to (come back),” coach Norv Turner said. However, not placing Castillo on the IR list has consequences. Only 53 players can be on the active roster at a time. With the injury to Castillo, the Chargers only had five remaining healthy defensive lineman on the active roster.

Defensive tackle Ogemdi “O.G.” Nwagbuo, was re-signed on Monday to add depth. Nwagbuo, a Mt. Miguel alum, had spent the previous two years with the team and was released during final cuts this season. Nwagbuo believes his familiarity with the system is a big reason why he was brought back. “It’s definitely an advantage because I have been here for awhile,” Nwagbuo said. “I know all of the plays. I just have to come in and work hard.”The addition of Nwagbuo to the active roster meant someone had to be removed. Safety C.J. Wallace was released and stopped earning a weekly pay check.

A players salary is divided into sixteenths. They receive one pay check following each game they were on the roster. The loss of Wallace will hurt the Chargers because Wallace is very good on special teams. Defensive End and Tackle Vaughn Martin, who played for Castillo when he was injured, will likely receive the biggest boost in playing time due to Castillo’s injury. “Martin went in and played at a real high level,” Norv Turner said. “Vaughn is going to play a lot more.”Martin deserves the opportunity. He had an outstanding camp and in preseason he had eight combined tackles (six solo, two assists) with three sacks. Martin, however is disappointed the opportunity came because of an injury to Castillo. “It is not just hard as a teammate,” Martin said. “It’s hard as a friend.”

During preseason Martin played primarily in the tackle position, but feels he will be comfortable at defensive end. “Everyone is prepared the exact same way,” Martin said. “The more you can do, the more value you are to the team. You can’t just go in there and say, ‘I am going to play this position and that’s it,’ because things change.”Kicker Nick Novak was signed on Tuesday to replace Kaeding. Novak has not played in the league since 2008, but was with the Chargers during preseason in 2010 and made two of three field goal attempts, with a long of 48 yards. In Novak’s three seasons of experience he made 19 of 30 field goals attempted (2005 Redskins and Cardinals, 2006 Redskins and 2008 Chiefs).

Although Novak has not played in a regular season game in over two years he believes is ready and up for the challenge. “I am excited to play again,” Novak said. “I want to show the Chargers, my teammates, and the coaching staff what I can do.”Novak does have deep rooted connections to San Diego and the Chargers including spending the offseason working out with former Chargers kicker John Carney (1990-2000). “San Diego loves Carney,” Novak said. “I grew up in San Diego watching him. I was born here in 1981, in Del Cerro. Kellen Winslow’s (Chargers TE, 1979-87) son and I have the same godmother. We played on the same soccer team.”

These were not the only roster moves the Chargers made this week. The eight-man practice squad was also affected. Running back Curtis Brinkley was signed to the practice squad, a move that was geared give some depth at the running back position after running Tolbert’s minor injury. The signing of Brinkley resulted in tight end Brad Taylor’s release from the practice squad. Tolbert practiced on Wednesday and is projected to play against the New England Patriots this Sunday. Tolbert scored a career-high three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) against the Vikings last week.

All of these moves occurred after just the first week of play. Unfortunately it is probable that there will be many more to come. Hopefully there won't be nearly as many as last year. Due to injuries, the Chargers had 74 different players in games throughout the season, tying an NFL record.