It's been a relatively quiet week on the injury front for the Chargers *knocks on wood*. RB Keaton Mitchell and WR Brenen Thompson returned to practice on Monday with little doubt on their statuses for this week. Mitchell, Thompson, and S R.J. Mickens came off the injury report today. They are good to go for Sunday.
For all of the concern regarding the status of LT Rashawn Slater this preseason, he was never on the injury report. Slater and Joe Alt are on track to play their first game together since the end of the 2024-25 season. The Chargers will have to manage Slater's knee and surgically repaired patellar tendon, but the arrow has been pointing in the right direction with him for a while.
There are just two Chargers players up in the air status-wise for Sunday (with one big name to watch).
The Chargers listed just one player as OUT in the official injury report. CB Deane Leonard dealt with an abdomen injury throughout the week and didn't practice. The Chargers will probably promote a cornerback from the practice squad between Kaiir Elam and Nikko Reed. Reed could have the edge due to special teams and defensive familiarity, but we'll see.
Where they'll really miss Leonard is the special teams phase. Tre' Harris, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and potentially Reed are some of your choices to replace him in the gunner spot. But special teams coverage recovered statistically last year when Leonard and LS Josh Harris were healthy. It's not a star player absence, but the Chargers will have to mitigate the loss of corner/ST depth here.
full game status for week 1 vs. AZ pic.twitter.com/EGXlQmvMAV
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 11, 2026
Tuli Tuipulotu popped up early in the week with a hip injury. It was the first we had heard about a potential injury or limitations in practice. He is officially listed as QUESTIONABLE heading into Sunday. The Chargers might elevate either Andre Carter II or Caleb Murphy as insurance in the event Tuipulotu can't go.
HC Jim Harbaugh said he isn't sure how Tuipulotu's injury happened. Although it was an answer that seemed primarily constructed on the basis of not giving the media information. For the most part, this likely is just a minor injury that LA's star EDGE rusher is dealing with. But on the other hand, there's at least a small, minute possibility that it would be tied to an unfinished contract. Again, it's unlikely—but it is worth pointing out that as we approach the regular season, the team seems not much closer to a deal than they were before.
Overall, it's a clean injury report from the Chargers. But Tuipulotu's uncertain status for Sunday may require more snaps for Akheem Mesidor, Bud Dupree and lower tiered practice squad EDGEs. Hopefully, the Chargers' promising EDGE star is able to give it a go.
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