COSTA MESA, Calif -- The Los Angeles Chargers announced on Tuesday that the team had activated middle linebacker Denzel Perryman from injured reserve/designated to return and brought back veteran tight end Jeff Cumberland.
To make room for those moves, the Chargers waived linebacker Josh Keyes and offensive lineman Tyler Marz.
Perryman, 24, began the regular season on injured reserve and has been out since suffering a left ankle injury in the team's preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks in August that required surgery. However, the University of Miami product began practicing three weeks ago, and Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said he likes what he's seen so far from the third-year pro.
Perryman finished with 72 combined tackles and two sacks last season and posted similar numbers (73 tackles, two sacks) his rookie season in 2015. It's expected that Perryman will improve a Chargers run defense allowing 135 rushing yards a contest, second worst in the NFL.
Cumberland is an athletic tight end who had a good training camp with the Chargers earlier this year before being shut down because of a lingering hamstring injury.
Cumberland, 30, was signed by the Chargers during the offseason in 2016 but suffered an Achilles injury during preseason play that forced him to miss the entire season.
Cumberland came back healthy and made several explosive plays during training camp practices in August. However, a hamstring injury during the second week of training camp forced him to miss most of exhibition play, and he was released during final roster cuts in September.
The Chargers also added offensive lineman Cole Toner to the team's practice squad.