The Chargers are heading into Week 10 with the same old problem staring them in the face: injuries, injuries, and more injuries.
Los Angeles has spent the season fighting through health issues, and the list has only grown. By Week Six, more than half of the team’s original 53-man roster had already landed on the injury report or injured reserve. Now the Chargers are coming off the trade deadline with the exact same roster they had before it, after a last-hour deal fell through, and they still haven’t found much of an identity on offense.
The latest report doesn’t make things look any better. On Thursday, the Chargers released their Week 10 injury update for the trip to Baltimore, where they’ll face the Jacoby Brissett-led Ravens on Monday Night Football. Los Angeles is still looking for its first win of the season, but the injury situation keeps hanging over everything.
The cornerback group is especially thin. Tarheeb Still and Donte Jackson are the only cornerbacks not listed on the injury report to open the week of practice.
Up front, the offensive line remains a mess. Guards Kayode Awosika, Alex Harkey and Branson Taylor are all on the report, and Taylor did not practice at all after making his first appearances of the season against Houston.
The wide receiver room is also banged up. Ladd McConkey and Tre’ Harris are both on the report, and McConkey missed the first practice of the week after dealing with back spasms during pregame warmups before the Week 9 game against the Texans.
For a team already trying to sort out its offense, the constant turnover at so many spots has made the job even harder for offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and quarterback Justin Herbert. The Chargers have been dealing with a revolving door all season, and the injuries continue to be part of the story every week.
In Other News...
Chargers Have A Chance To Add A Speed Threat With Real Risk
Hollywood Brown is suddenly on the market after his release by the Eagles, and that naturally puts a player with his kind of speed on the radar for a Chargers offense that could always use more juice on the perimeter. Brown has long been the sort of receiver who can change how a defense lines up, and his availability gives Los Angeles a chance to think about adding a vertical threat without waiting for the draft or another deeper pool of free agents.
Of course, this is the kind of move that comes with real questions attached. Browns health history, his contract expectations and how he would fit into the Chargers overall receiver plan all matter, and there is no indication the team is actually pursuing him yet. Still, for a club looking to sharpen its passing game, the possibility is enough to keep this one worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Philip Rivers Is Taking On A Role Chargers Fans Never Expected
Philip Rivers is heading back to the sideline in a way few saw coming, with North Carolina State officially hiring the former Chargers quarterback as its next head coach. Rivers, who starred at NC State before a 17-year NFL career, has long been one of the more recognizable figures from the Chargers past, and his return to the college game brings an immediate jolt of familiarity for anyone who watched him pile up seasons in San Diego and Los Angeles.
The move also puts Rivers in a very different lane from the one most fans expected after his brief 2025 return with the Indianapolis Colts and his retirement soon after. His coaching background is limited, though he has worked with his sons high school team, and he had previously interviewed for the Buffalo Bills head coaching job, a sign that his post-playing path has been trending toward the sideline for a while. Now comes the bigger test: turning a beloved former quarterback into a first-time head coach at his alma mater. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Are Betting On A Core Fans Have Every Reason To Doubt
The Chargers trade deadline approach offered a small window into how they view the roster they have built, even if the results so far have given fans plenty of reason to wonder about it. General manager Joe Hortiz said the team held firm on its key players and, for most of the core, never even got serious offers as the deadline came and went.
Daiyan Henleys name briefly surfaced in trade talks, but the deal was ultimately nullified after a failed physical, leaving the linebacker in place as the Chargers try to move forward with what they have. Hortiz still sounded confident the current group can win this season, a stance that will be tested quickly by a fan base that has watched too many promising plans run into familiar problems. [Read more 🡒]