The Los Angeles Chargers are staring at a broken season, and the injury report has become part of the wreckage.
Entering Week 5 at 0-4, the Chargers are carrying nine players on injured reserve and, once again, filling out daily reports with roughly 20 players. For a team that’s supposed to be built on analytics, tech and all the other buzzwords tied to modern player care, the results look anything but advanced.
That’s what makes the current mess sting even more. Jim Harbaugh already acknowledged that part of the reason his team has looked so unprepared is that the Chargers mishandled training camp and preseason work.
The idea, of course, was to keep the roster healthy. Instead, the health situation has only gotten worse.
For the Week 5 game against the Denver Broncos, quarterback Trey Lance was listed as doubtful on the final injury report. The following players were questionable:
The Chargers also listed the following players as out:
Star offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, by the way, is also heading to injured reserve with an ankle injury.
At this point, it’s fair to ask whether this is just bad luck anymore. The Chargers have spent years among the NFL’s most-injured teams, and this latest wave has only fueled more frustration.
That frustration has spilled into public reaction, too, including this jab:
"Starting to think Ben Herbert loads up pillow cases full of bricks and just swings it at guys in the facility https://t.co/b6mpTs5W5G"
Herbert, the team’s executive director of player performance, is supposed to be part of the solution. The Chargers’ offseason plan was clear: reduce reps for key players during the summer and try to come out healthier on the other side.
Instead, the injury wave arrived anyway. And with the season already sliding and more key names landing on injury lists, it’s fair to wonder whether this isn’t just a bad start, but another reason the entire Jim Harbaugh program could be in jeopardy next offseason, not just a coach or two.
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That team came together under a first-year head coach and got a major jolt when the quarterback situation shifted before the regular season even began. The early stumble gave way to a steady run of wins, a playoff berth and even a postseason victory, which is exactly the kind of route this current Chargers team would love to study while trying to stop the early-season damage from becoming permanent. [Read more 🡒]
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Several league sources and analysts have suggested that a move involving Mack could make sense for both sides, especially given his past mixed feelings about leaving Chicago. The Chargers, though, have not shown any indication they want to move him, and with the deadline set for Nov. 10, the question is whether this becomes a real decision point or just another piece of outside chatter around a player who still matters to what Los Angeles is trying to do. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Injuries Could Force Oronde Gadsden Into A Bigger Role
The Chargers are heading into their game against the Broncos with some real uncertainty at wide receiver, and that could reshape how the passing game is distributed. Quentin Johnston and Brenen Thompson have already been ruled out, while Ladd McConkey is questionable because of a foot injury, leaving Los Angeles thin enough to consider other answers in the middle of the field.
One of those answers could be tight end Oronde Gadsden, who has already shown some involvement and may be asked to do more if the position remains short-handed. With the receiver room compromised and other tight ends potentially limited as well, the Chargers may need to lean on Gadsden for extra snaps and targets in a game that now feels a lot more unsettled than it did a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]