Team news: Los Angeles Chargers | Page 1

McConkey remained sidelined Thursday because of his rib injury, marking his second consecutive missed practice.

The Chargers have not indicated that McConkey is expected to miss Sunday’s game against Las Vegas, but he will likely need to practice Friday—or receive a particularly encouraging game designation—to avoid carrying substantial Week 2 uncertainty.

Related Players: Justin Herbert, Quentin Johnston, Tre’ Harris, Brenen Thompson, David Njoku, Oronde Gadsden

A third consecutive absence would leave McConkey genuinely questionable for Sunday. Johnston and Harris would become the Chargers’ leading wide receiver options if he cannot play, while Njoku could also benefit in the short and intermediate areas. Herbert’s projection would take a hit without his primary receiver.

Chargers WR Ladd McConkey dealing with rib injury

McConkey was getting tests done on Monday and the hope is we know a little more later today. McConkey left the game and didn't return but had a line of 5-82-1.

Oronde Gadsden II emerged as a real pass-catching threat for the Chargers last season, posting 49 receptions for 664 yards and three touchdowns. But he won't be able to see the field consistently in McDaniel's offense until he gets more consistent as a blocker.

Related players: David Njoku, Charlie Kolar

The story said if he's able to work on his blocking, the Chargers will have a three-headed monster at the position. It's been quite the fall for Gadsden from when he was a hot commodity at the position last year, especially in dynasty leagues. The Chargers brought in Kolar and Njoku in the offseason, and the story went on to say about Kolar: "if they can unlock his dormant pass-catching skill set this season, [Kolar] has a very clear path to establishing himself as an every-down TE in McDaniel's scheme. That will more than make up for any surprise that came when his contract was first confirmed." The story ranked Kolar as the team's top TE and called Njoku the perfect "middle ground" between Kolar and Gadsden. This will be a situation to watch this season. It seems the Chargers are banking on Kolar's blocking and his pass-catching skills to emerge.

Keaton Mitchell looks to be RB2 in this offense based on his fit within OC Mike McDaniel's scheme, and if he can stay healthy, he'll have an enlarged snap share available alongside Hampton— who the Chargers may try to grant some rest to over the course of the season based on the depth of this room.

Related players: Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal

There was some cryptic stuff from McDaniel about Mitchell last week that had some wondering what exactly was going on with the Chargers backfield. Hampton is the clear RB1, and it appears Mitchell has the RB2 job ahead of Vidal. The story said Vidal is on the rise, however, and is a pass catching weapon, but didn't show a lot this offseason and has some work to do. Mitchell can be a pass catching weapon too, but as the story said, if Hampton would get hurt, Mitchell isn't really a bell-cow back who would take right over. It looks like for now Mitchell may have the early edge as the team's RB2, however.

Mike McDaniel on the running back share between Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell:

“Bad news, fantasy owners. Good news is I see all three of those guys producing at a very high level. Bad news is I can’t tell you which games those are.”

The post went on to say McDaniel added he’ll probably use all three every game, with the workload depending on the opponent and “hot hand.” It's not the first time it's been reported the Chargers may go with a committee at the position. Hampton is probably still the back to own and comes with the best draft capital at least. He's coming into his second season after missing time as a rookie. Vidal filled in nicely for him at times last season. In a nine-week span between Week 6 and Week 15, Vidal had over 12 carries in seven of those weeks. Mitchell is coming from Baltimore where he burst on the scene in 2023 producing several big plays over eight games before being injured most of 2024. Last season, Mitchell averaged just over five touches a game and could see a similar role with the Chargers.

Keaton Mitchell, if healthy, should be a factor in this offense. Omarion Hampton, a 2025 first-round pick, is the No. 1 in a trio of running backs the Chargers like a lot. But they absolutely have a role planned for Mitchell, the speedy change-of-pace back they signed away from the Ravens in free agency. They think he can help in the passing game in particular but also as a complement to Hampton and Kimani Vidal.

Mike McDaniel was quoted in the story, saying this about Mitchell: "He's as dynamic as they come with the ball in his hands in space. He's a matchup issue for every defense. I think he has a lot of pass-game value that he hasn't been able to really represent in his career, but it's showing so far in camp. He's a playmaker that I'm very excited about." Mitchell was a more of a change of pace option for the Ravens who was able to take advantage of big plays before injuries set him back. Health will be key for Mitchell, and he's looking like a later-round fantasy option with some upside at the RB position.

Baker Mayfield tells ESPN the Bucs offered him a two-year deal, which was ‘probably the most disappointing’ part. Wanted long-term commitment.

Added Bucs were ‘pretty far’ from $50+M per club, which he wanted to enter.

Related Players: Jake Browning

It's becoming more and more likely that Mayfield hits the open market post-2026, which adds an intriguing wrinkle to his Dynasty outlook. As for this season, he's still behind a great offensive line, with a nice WR room, which makes him a viable QB2 or a great streaming option, should he go undrafted.

Ladd McConkey said that he’s a “full go” for training camp.

Chargers camp will begin tomorrow with players arriving today. McConkey was dealing with a hamstring injury and while he was expected to be good to go, it's always nice to see the good news. McConkey added he thinks the current Chargers roster is the most talented he's been on, according to the post.

Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr. suffered a groin injury during today’s practice, and the team wants to see how he feels this weekend before deciding whether he can play Sunday vs. the Steelers.

Browns also have ruled out TE David Njoku for Sunday’s game due to a knee injury.

Terrible news for Fannin managers, as he looked to be in a great spot against a Steelers defense ranking 28th in TE aFPA. Hopefully we get some clarity heading into Sunday, as he should be a locked-in volume-based, top-10 option if he's near 100%.

Chargers RB Kimani Vidal, who left Sunday's win over the Cowboys early, was diagnosed with a neck strain and is considered day-to-day, source says after the MRI.

Related players: Omarion Hampton, Hassan Haskins

Vidal could miss time, but the belief is that it's not serious, the post went on to say. He'll be worth monitoring this week in practice, but it looks like Hampton could see a bigger workload with Haskins mixing in as the team's RB2.