LA Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack hasn't played since Week 2, when he suffered a dislocated elbow on an awkward collision with linebacker Troy Dye. Mack avoided the worst-case scenario, as it looked like he broke his arm (which would have been a season-ending injury).
Instead, Mack's dislocated elbow gave him a chance to return to the Chargers during the 2025 season. Mack took the first step to returning to action for the Bolts with his practice window officially opening on Wednesday.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh broke the news to reporters on Wednesday afternoon. This officially opens Mack's 21-day window to return from IR.
Khalil Mack takes first step toward returning, will practice for the Chargers ahead of Week 7
Although Mack will practice during the week leading into Week 7's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, it's extremely unlikely he will actually suit up this weekend.
The 21-day window to return allows Mack to practice with the Chargers without counting against the 53-man roster. Once the 21 days are up, Mack has to be elevated to the active roster or he has to go on season-ending IR. The latter is not in the cards at all.
At the absolute most, Mack would return on November 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, assuming there were no setbacks in his recovery. If there was, the Chargers would have to put him on the active roster only to make him inactive on gameday.
More often than not, teams do not use the entire 21-day window for a player to return to action. While it is unlikely Mack returns this weekend against the Colts, it is possible that he returns next Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings.
If returning on a short week is out of the equation, he could return November 2 against the Tennessee Titans. How much Mack practices this week will give fans a good indication of where exactly that timeline falls.
Once he returns, Mack will form a dangerous three-headed pass rush monster alongside Tuli Tuipulotu and new trade addition, Odafe Oweh. Adding Oweh to the mix allows Mack to ease back into action while also giving defensive coordinator Jesse Minter a lot of pass-rush flexibility on obvious passing downs.
The Chargers have been truly decimated by injuries this season and for the first time all year, the Bolts are seemingly getting some positive injury news.