Needless to say, the Los Angeles Chargers are in trouble if Ladd McConkey is out for their Week 2 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
As much confidence as Mike McDaniel has exuded in the rest of the receiving corps, McConkey was their lone answer to the Arizona Cardinals defense in Week 1. He totaled five receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown, while Tre' Harris and Quentin Johnston combined five receptions and 37 yards. When McConkey went down in the second half with a chest injury, the offense fell flat.
Now, McConkey hasn't practiced on Wedneday or Thursday, working off to the side with a trainer instead, and it seems as though his status for Week 2 is in serious doubt. If Los Angeles is going to get their air attack going without him, they're going to need to figure out how to maximize their remaining pass-catching threats.
Perhaps that starts with extended opportunities for Tre' Harris. Harris played 13 snaps out of the slot in Week 1, which was 41.9% of his total snap-share. Granting Harris additional opportunities there while using Johnston as a potential downfield threat may be Los Angeles' best path toward finding their offensive footing if McConkey is absent.
Tre' Harris may be the Chargers' answer to Ladd McConkey's potential absence in Week 2
Of course, if McConkey is out, there's also a question of who the third starting receiver is when the team is in 11 personnel. KeAndre Lambert-Smith is now out for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, and Derius Davis didn't show nearly enough in Week 1 to warrant that opportunity. Perhaps Gary Jennings, who was elevated to the active roster this week, gets the nod.
But if Los Angeles is missing their best receiver, it's also reasonable to expect McDaniel to lean heavily into 12 and 13 personnel looks to account for that. The Chargers ran 12 personnel at the 11th-lowest rate in the NFL in Week 1—a far cry from what was expected given how deep their tight end room is in 2026.
There's a chance, then, that McConkey's absence opens up some additional receiving opportunities for Oronde Gadsden II, who saw just 10 snaps in Week 1 but certainly has upside as a big slot in McDaniel's scheme.
But if that alone doesn't present the answer, Harris deserves to see some enhanced opportunities as well.
Of course, most of what we expect from Harris is purely theoretical. He earned time on the field last season due to his blocking abilities, but he totaled just 30 receptions for 324 yards over the course of the campaign. That being said, we've seen he has enough route-running nuance and competent catch-point abilities to be a real playmaker in the Chargers offense with enhanced opportunities.
The whole balance of Los Angeles' passing attack under McDaniel rests on utilizing Johnston and/or Harris as a deep threat while opening up opportunities underneath for McConkey. If McConkey is out, that balance needs to be shifted—Johnston can remain the team's primary X-receiver, while Harris can take on a share of that underneath, YAC-centric role that will prove to be McConkey's bread and butter this season.
No matter what, Los Angeles is going to need to find an answer to opposing defenses that's not McConkey at some point this season. Perhaps an absence from their star receiver in Week 2 will help accelerate that process.
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