The Los Angeles Chargers, to this point in their 0-6 campaign, have suffered heavily from their inability to identify (and keep healthy) a true focal point of the passing attack.
This falls, of course, at least partially upon Mike McDaniel. His inability to adjust his scheme to the strategic fits and the skill sets of Los Angeles' receiving corps has been one of the great failures of his time so far with the organization. But the blame, to an extent, also falls upon the personnel in question. Of course, it's not Ladd McConkey or Tre' Harris' fault that they haven't been fully healthy. Quentin Johnston and his lack of separation is a different matter.
But across the first three weeks of the season—when all three of Harris, Johnston, and McConkey were at least active—the Chargers managed just 587 passing yards and three touchdowns. Paced out over the duration of a 17-game season, that would've been the sixth-lowest mark in the league last year.
It's unreasonable to assume, then, that even a fully healthy receiving corps for the Chargers after the bye will be enough to help resurrect this offense. This team needs to identify a true deep threat in addition to keeping McConkey active out of the slot, and that means that Harris needs to be ready to take on his share of the action when he returns from his hamstring injury.
Tre' Harris needs to continue to be a real option for the Chargers—or this offense is completely dead in the water
Per The Athletic's Noah Furtado, Harris was included on the list of players that Jim Harbaugh specified were nearing a return at the start of the Chargers' bye week. As they prepare for their slate of practices prior to their Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, then, it's safe to assume that Harris will be a participant in some fashion.
Harris, no matter what, will be a key cog in any sort of a semblance of an offensive resurgence the Chargers can conjure this season. He's been their lone real deep threat so far, posting 15 receptions for 225 yards across five games. The lone game he missed—which McConkey also exited early with a concussion—was perhaps the Chargers' worst offensive outing of the season. They managed to put up just 259 total yards on the day, and even though a majority of those came through the air, having just Johnston in the fold out of Los Angeles' main receivers was far from sufficient.
McConkey returning from injury—and hopefully casting aside the issues that have limited him to this point in the season—will obviously be the major post-bye development for the Chargers. Barring any radical change in McDaniel's scheme, McConkey's skill set out of the slot makes him the best volume target Los Angeles has on its roster, and his ability to consistently produce on anticipatory throws in the shorter parts of the field will be a key piece in any momentum the offense is able to gain.
But part of what's limited this unit, to this point in the season, has been the schematic failure to consistently leverage the speed and downfield catch abilities of either Harris or Johnston. Sure, Harris has made some impressive catches this season. But unless he's consistently getting (and capitalizing on) those opportunities, there simply won't be enough space underneath to maximize McConkey and his skill set.
If Harris can return to full strength for the Chargers in Week 8, that alone is a massive boon. It means that Theo Wease Jr. and Derius Davis likely won't need to run significant routes.
But excluding the Denver game, Harris posted at least one explosive catch in each of his three preceding matchups prior to his injury. Having Harris back simply as a threat and an additional pass catcher won't be enough. The Chargers need to continue developing his profile and his volume as a deep and intermediate target—at the very least matching share of 5-7 targets he saw in Weeks 3 and 4—if they want to stand any chance of bringing a level of consistency to this offense.
McConkey's return from injury will be a major addition. But if Harris is sidelined from the offense as a result, it likely won't mean much in the grand scheme of things.
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