The news for which the Chargers braced has come.
Stevie Johnson is expected to miss the 2016 season.
The wide receiver had a follow-up appointment Wednesday following Tuesday's surgery on his torn meniscus. It laid out a timetable that should sideline him for the year, a source said. Johnson suffered the knee injury on the second day of training camp.
August injuries often are unavoidable for any team.
Nonetheless, his apparent loss is a blow.
Johnson was entering the second season of a three-year contract. Nagging soft-tissue injuries, both to the hamstring and groin, caused him to miss six games in 2015.