One potentially concerning storyline has slipped under the radar amid all the other chaos that has happened during LA Chargers training camp. Star wide receiver Ladd McConkey has quietly been dealing with an injury and fans are starting to worry.
There was very little coverage around McConkey's injury with the coaching staff initially saying that it was "extremely minor". However, the more time has passed the less and less minor McConkey' injury has seemed.
McConkey hasn't practiced for the Chargers since July 28. If he misses Friday's practice, that is two full weeks without practicing for the Chargers' wideout. And according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic, McConkey's upper leg has been wrapped this entire time.
This is new information that Chargers fans aren't taking lightly.
It might be time for Chargers fans to worry about Ladd McConkey
We haven't reached full-blown panic mode yet, but it's gotten to the point where Chargers fans every right to legitimately be worried about McConkey's injury and his timeline to return.
The Chargers have been very hush-hush about his injury with Jim Harbaugh downplaying the severity to reporters. Normally, that would be a reason to be optimistic but as we all know, Harbaugh keeps all of his injury information close to his chest.
This does not appear to be anything that will have a long-term impact on McConkey, hopefully, but the longer this bleeds into training camp the more likely it is that it impacts the Chargers to start the 2025 season.
We are still a long way away from having to worry about McConkey missing Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Hopefully, that conversation never truly happens as the Chargers cannot afford for McConkey to miss games to start the season.
The Chargers open the 2025 season with three division matchups. Los Angeles has to be as close to full strength as possible in those games to at least emerge with a 2-1 record. Division games essentially count as double, and starting the first three weeks of the season with a losing record would be a tough pill to swallow.
Thankfully, the Chargers recently signed Keenan Allen, who could theoretically soften the blow of McConkey being out a ton. But even the Allen signing is now being dissected. Did the Chargers finally pull the trigger because of concerns about McConkey? With how the team handles injury information, it's impossible to know the real answer.
The best-case scenario here is that the Chargers are simply being as cautious as possible and that McConkey's injury truly is as minor as Harbaugh says it is. But the more time passes, the harder it is to believe that story.