Tuesday is Philip Rivers’ 34th birthday.

He received a new wide receiver, one with whom he is familiar.

Vincent Brown signed with the Chargers and very well could play Sunday in Kansas City, sources said. Brown, a 2011 third-round pick from San Diego State, showed flashes of being an impact player before a broken ankle in a 2012 exhibition game derailed his development. He was released after training camp in 2014. Brown was signed in favor of Austin Pettis, who attended the same Tuesday workout with Brown but has less of a history with Rivers.

San Diego needs a wide receiver to step in under short notice.


It finished Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Broncos with only two available options. Dontrelle Inman was carted off on a stretcher following a first-quarter neck injury. The ailment later was diagnosed as a strain, and coach Mike McCoy declared him Monday as “day-to-day.” Stevie Johnson exited in the fourth quarter with a groin injury, leaving Malcom Floyd and Javontee Herndon as the only wide receivers in uniform.

Herndon is still a young player working to build Rivers’ trust. Floyd, 34, is playing through a torn labrum, a difficult injury for a wide receiver. It can limit a player’s catch radius, affecting the ability to make contested catches. Undrafted rookie Tyrell Williams was a healthy scratch versus Denver, but he is expected to be active against the Chiefs.

The wide-receiver cupboard needed restocking, and a history with Rivers was a prerequisite.

As ex-Chargers go, Danario Alexander was among the other notable names on the free-agent market.


He has trained for several months in attempt to make a comeback. Last with San Diego in 2013, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in training camp that required multiple surgeries. Alexander, in the main misfortune to an otherwise promising career, has undergone multiple procedures to both knees. He worked out for the Bears on Tuesday and said that he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds.

Brown had 60 catches for 801 yards and three touchdowns between 2011 and 2013 in San Diego.

After his release in 2014, he spent the season with the Raiders, catching 12 passes for 118 yards while limited by injury. He signed with the Colts in March as a free agent, but he was released in September when teams’ roster sizes were reduced from 75 to 53 players following the preseason. Pettis was a Charger more recently, having been with the club this offseason before his September release. He worked, however, more with second- and third-team offense.

Rivers has a stronger history with Brown.


Now, they have a future, too.