Charlie Kolar (Chargers) Fractures Left Forearm, Surgery Planned

Charlie Kolar has suffered a broken left forearm and is headed to surgery — a confirmed fracture that immediately ends his availability for the foreseeable future. Surgery has not yet been performed as of this report, and the specific procedure type has not been disclosed publicly, which matters for the recovery window.

The injury date is established as September 21, 2026, based on prior thread reporting. As of today (September 22), this is essentially day one post-injury — surgery is imminent but not yet completed, so the RTP clock resets from the surgical date, which is expected to fall within the next day or two of the injury date.

For forearm fractures requiring surgical repair, the procedure type drives the timeline considerably. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) — the most common approach for displaced forearm fractures — typically returns athletes to functional sport in 10–16 weeks. More complex fractures involving both the radius and ulna, or those requiring extensive hardware, can push the upper bound toward 20 weeks. Until the specific procedure and fracture pattern are disclosed, the range must span that full plausible window. The surgical RTP table applies here: biological healing of cortical bone after ORIF generally requires a minimum of 10 weeks before sufficient tensile strength is achieved, and full remodeling continues well beyond functional clearance.

For a tight end, the left forearm — while not the throwing arm — is integral to blocking, route running, and catching. Kolar's return will hinge not just on bony union but on grip strength, rotational forearm mechanics, and the ability to absorb contact. The Chargers have designated him "Out" with no week count, consistent with a multi-week surgical recovery. The RTP window below spans the range of likely procedures; it will narrow materially once the specific repair is confirmed.