The Chargers’ week two injury report looks a lot cleaner than the one they carried into the opener, but there’s still plenty for Jim Harbaugh’s team to sort through before facing the Las Vegas Raiders.
Most of the players who showed up on the week one report got through the Arizona Cardinals game and came out the other side off the list. That was not the case for Ladd McConkey, whose status was expected after he absorbed a heavy shot across the middle from Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson and was knocked out of the game.
There’s also a broader issue in the receiver room. Keandre Lambert-Smith is no longer on the injury report because the Chargers placed him on injured reserve with a bad hamstring injury, and Derius Davis is also listed on the report.
To help patch things together, Los Angeles signed Gary Jennings to the active roster from the practice squad and added veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad. The Chargers could wind up going against the Raiders without three of their six wide receivers.
Special teams could also force the team to get creative again. Cornerback Deane Leonard was back at practice in a limited capacity, while Rodney Shelley handled gunner duties against the Cardinals. If Leonard can’t return for the second straight week, the Chargers may need to elevate cornerback Nikko Reed or running back Greg Desrosiers to fill that role, especially with Lambert-Smith on injured reserve.
The biggest concern on the report may be up front. Two of the three starting defensive tackles are listed, with Teair Tart not participating because of an ankle injury and Dalvin Tomlinson limited by a hamstring issue. That matters because the Raiders are expected to bring a balanced attack led by running back Ashton Jeanty, and Los Angeles will need its defensive line at full strength to slow him down.
The Chargers are trying to move on after a Week 1 loss and now head into a tough eight-game stretch that begins with their division rivals. The defeat to Arizona was rough enough to leave Harbaugh regretting how he handled the offseason program and preseason snaps. Now the Chargers have to tighten things up fast before Las Vegas comes to town.
In Other News...
Chargers Could Be Forced To Lean On Brenen Thompson Early
Ladd McConkeys rib injury has suddenly made the Chargers receiver rotation a lot thinner than it looked a week ago. McConkey did not practice midweek, and with KeAndre Lambert-Smith now on injured reserve, the margin for error at wideout has shrunk enough that the team may need to lean harder on its younger options for the upcoming game.
Brenen Thompson is the name that jumps out if McConkey cannot go. The rookie has made his reputation on speed, and that trait becomes even more valuable when a passing game needs someone to stretch the field in a hurry. Even if the Chargers choose to spread the snaps around, Thompson looks like the player with the clearest path to a bigger workload in a receiver room that suddenly needs answers. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Suddenly Have An Early Roster Problem They Can't Ignore
A disappointing Week 1 outing has put the Chargers in a position where roster questions are already harder to ignore than they hoped in September. With draft picks and salary-cap space available, Los Angeles is being mentioned as a team that could be active in the trade market, and the early focus is squarely on shoring up a defensive line that looks thin and vulnerable to injury concerns.
Kristopher Knox pointed to Titans lineman Solomon Thomas as a possible name for the Chargers to consider, which fits the kind of move this front office may need to explore if it wants more reliable depth up front. The challenge now is not just identifying help, but deciding how aggressive to be this early in the season, especially when the first game has already exposed a weakness the Chargers cant afford to let linger. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Just Lost More Secondary Depth At The Worst Time
The Chargers have taken another hit in the secondary, with cornerback Nikko Reed leaving the practice squad for the Giants, who signed him to their 53-man roster. It is the kind of late-season roster loss that matters even more when a team is already dealing with injuries to key players and trying to keep enough bodies available for what comes next.
Los Angeles still has several cornerbacks on the active roster, but the timing of this move only adds to the pressure on a unit that has already been stretched thin. With a demanding schedule ahead, every bit of depth counts, and the Chargers now have one less option as they try to hold the back end together. [Read more 🡒]