The Chargers are heading into Week 3 with a lineup that already looks patched together in several spots, and the injury list keeps forcing Jim Harbaugh’s hand. Los Angeles takes on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Western New York after dropping to 0-2, and the changes are piling up on both sides of the ball.
At quarterback, Justin Herbert remains the constant. He’ll be working behind a front that has taken some major hits, starting with a reshuffled interior line and a new name at left guard. The projected offensive starters are Herbert, running back Omarion Hampton, fullback Alec Ingold, tight end Oronde Gadsden II, wide receivers Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, left tackle Rashawn Slater, left guard Trevor Penning, center Jake Slaughter, right guard Cole Strange and right tackle Joe Alt.
The tight end group took a hit in Week 2 against the Raiders, when both of the team’s top tight ends went down. Gadsden is set to step into the starting role, with recently signed Hayden Rucci backing him up. Patrick Herbert is expected to be elevated from the practice squad and active for the game.
The offensive line is where the depth chart has really thinned out. Los Angeles is down to its fifth option at left guard.
Branson Taylor started the season on injured reserve, Jake Slaughter moved over to handle the starting center job, Trey Pipkins has not practiced in two weeks because of a knee injury and was just placed on IR, and starter Kayode Awosika will miss at least this week with a fibula injury. That leaves Penning, who worked as the swing guard in Week 2, to make his debut in 2026 as a starter at left guard.
McConkey is dealing with ribs, but he practiced in full all week and should be available as a key target for Herbert. With Brenen Thompson out, veteran Marquez Valdez-Scantling is lined up for his debut.
On defense, the Chargers are also dealing with changes. The projected starters are Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu/Akheem Mesidor, Teair Tart, Jamaree Caldwell, Daiyan Henley, Del'Shawn Phillips, Derwin James Jr., Tony Jefferson, RJ Mickens, Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart.
The biggest absence there is defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, who is out with a hamstring injury. That opens the door for Caldwell to get extra work as the starter next to Tart, while rookie Nick Barrett is also expected to see a bigger role.
Tuipulotu spent the week managing a hamstring issue, but he was upgraded to full participation on Friday. If he needs to be handled carefully, rookie Akheem Mesidor could pick up additional snaps.
In the secondary, RJ Mickens started alongside Tony Jefferson last week with Elijah Molden still out because of a hamstring injury, and that setup should remain in place. Rookie Genesis Smith is also expected to see plenty of time, especially with Buffalo likely to test the Chargers downfield.
In Other News...
Former Charger Says Justin Herbert Is Still Paying For The Same Problem
Justin Herberts latest stretch has only sharpened the familiar debate around how much help the Chargers have given him. Former nose tackle Breiden Fehoko added his voice to it, taking aim at general manager Joe Hortiz and the Spanos family while arguing that the franchise still has not built enough around its quarterback. The criticism lands against a rough Chargers start to the 2026 season, with Herbert again carrying the weight of a lineup that has not consistently protected him or eased the pressure on the offense.
Fehoko pointed to the same old issues that have followed Herbert through much of his tenure, from sacks to turnovers, as evidence that the problem is bigger than one bad stretch. Herberts recent play has kept the Chargers afloat at times, but it has also underscored how much the team continues to ask of him. The frustration now is not just about one game or one season, but whether the organization has done enough to give its best player a real chance to thrive. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Gets An Unexpected New Target As Chargers Search For Stability
The Chargers had to turn to some familiar family ties as they sorted through injuries at tight end, activating Patrick Herbert for their matchup with the Bills. The younger brother of Justin Herbert is set to make his NFL debut after previously playing at Oregon, a path that included time on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad last season before landing back in Los Angeles.
For a Chargers offense still looking for steadier footing, Patrick Herbert adds depth at a position that has been thinned out by injuries and gives the team another option behind the starters. It also creates a rare sideline dynamic for Justin Herbert, who will now have his brother in the same huddle environment as the Chargers try to keep their tight end room intact. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face An Early Buffalo Test That Could Define This Team
The Chargers first real road measuring stick comes quickly, with a Week 3 trip to Highmark Stadium to face the Bills in a game that already feels like more than an early-season checkpoint. Los Angeles will take the field in its white-on-white look, while Buffalo breaks out its Nickel City alternate gray uniforms, giving the matchup a little extra stage presence before the football even starts. Fox will carry the game with Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady on the call, and the forecast calls for 66 degrees and light northeast winds, so the setting should be about as clean as the stakes are high.
What could complicate things even more is the officiating assignment, with Clete Blackman and his crew set to work a game that figures to draw plenty of scrutiny anyway. Blackmans crew has developed a reputation for a heavy whistle, and that matters in a matchup where every drive, every field-position swing and every discipline issue could loom large for a Chargers team trying to see what it really is this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]