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SAN DIEGO -- Melvin Gordon stood on the sideline, working with a coach on over-the-shoulder catches while the rest of his teammates worked through special teams drills. The rookie running back wore just a jersey and shorts on Sunday, missing his first training camp practice for the San Diego Chargers in four days. Whether Gordon is suffered a minor injury or was just taking a rest day remains to be seen, as Chargers coach Mike McCoy did not disclose the status of Gordon’s health while talking to reporters after practice. According to league rules, teams do not have to provide an injury report until the regular season begins. “There’s going to be some bumps and bruises,” McCoy said. “You saw a few guys go out today. It’s all part of training camp. All those guys get dinged, and they’ll get back out there as soon as we can.” Joining Gordon on the sideline was guard Orlando Franklin, who suffered what appeared to be a knee injury that required the attention of San Diego’s training staff. With Franklin unavailable, Johnnie Troutman moved from right guard to left guard, with Joe Barksdale coming in to play right guard. Defensive lineman Ricardo Mathews suffered a lower leg injury and had to leave practice. Center Chris Watt also did not practice to rest a leg injury. Trevor Robinson worked at center with the starters. Defensive lineman Tenny Palepoi remains sidelined with a foot injury. Cornerback Brandon Flowers returned to the field after taking a rest day on Saturday. With Gordon out, second-year pro Branden Oliver had a solid practice running the football, as the Chargers worked on plays inside the red zone. McCoy said he was pleased with the way the Chargers ran the football overall. “The offense did a much better job of running the football today,” McCoy said. “That’s the way you want to run the football when you watch the practice.” Chargers get physical: McCoy said he liked the overall tempo and physical nature of practice. He pointed to linebacker Denzel Perryman making his presence felt during an inside running drill as an example of what he likes to see when San Diego goes full pads. “I’m very pleased with the way practice went today,” McCoy said. “It was a tough practice. It went a little longer than the first couple practices, so they grinded it out. It was a physical day in training camp with pads.” Along with the physical play of Perryman, left tackle King Dunlap pancaked Jeremiah Attaochu on a tight end screen to Ladarius Green. Star gazing: Former San Diego State standout and NBA star Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs attended practice on Sunday. Leonard was in attendance to visit his cousin, San Diego receiver Stevie Johnson. With Leonard there, that means Eric Weddle was the second-best athlete at Chargers Park, right? “I’m sure I still am [the best athlete],” Weddle said, smiling. “We could put a thing of 10 sports all together and I’m sure I’d win at all of them.”
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