Chargers' Disappointing Ladd McConkey, Joe Alt Injury Updates Just Make Things Worse

Sports admin October 13, 2026 0 Comments

Chargers’ Disappointing Ladd McConkey, Joe Alt Injury Updates Just Make Things Worse

An 0-6 record at the bye week looms for the Los Angeles Chargers if they can’t get healthy and on track in time for an encounter with the Kansas City Chiefs on the road.

But based on the injury updates and what the Chargers put on film over the first five weeks of losses, the outlook isn’t so hot.

That’s especially the case when Jim Harbaugh-era franchise cornerstones like wideout Ladd McConkey and offensive tackle Joe Alt simply can’t stay healthy.

Before practice even started this week, Harbaugh and the Chargers offered some bad-sounding updates, too.

Chargers’ brutal injury outlook keeps getting worse

During the loss to Denver last weekend, Ladd McConkey was surprisingly active. But as it turns out, that was just in an “emergency” situation because he wound up playing zilch.

Big problem, no doubt, and one made worse by Harbaugh saying early this week that it is only “possible” McConkey gets back to practice ahead of Week 6, according to The Athletic’s Noah Furtado.

As for Alt, ESPN’s Anthony Gharib reports that the star offensive tackle is still undergoing testing for his neck injury to determine the length of his absence.

Keep in mind that the Chargers were forced to essentially roll with four rookies on the offensive line in front of Justin Herbert to disastrous results. That doesn’t sound like it will be changing much against the Chiefs with names like Kayode Awosika still rehabbing injuries.

Herbert’s wideout room doesn’t figure to get much better, either. Tre Harris, a possible No. 1 option, is now also “week-to-week” status with a new hamstring injury. Fellow wideout Quentin Johnston is going to be limited with his chest injury, too.

At this point, the injury list makes it pretty clear how things might turn out against the Chiefs before the bye. After the bye, maybe the team will get healthier with some rest and look a little more competitive.

Silver lining? All these injuries, at least, give younger guys a chance to make an impact in live reps. It will give the organization some good film to better make offseason decisions too. Though, whether or not that’s Harbaugh and his staff making those decisions, very much remains to be seen.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as Chargers’ Disappointing Ladd McConkey, Joe Alt Injury Updates Just Make Things Worse.

This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 6:00 PM.