Chargers WR Ladd McConkey's injury woes become hot topic ahead of training camp

Los Angeles Chargers second-year receiver Ladd McConkey broke out in a big way as a rookie, which almost qualifies as an understatement. 

McConkey, after all, caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards, shattering franchise records. He scored seven times over 16 games, too, before doing all he could to carry the entire passing attack on his back in the playoff loss to Houston. 

One negative aspect of McConkey’s game? Injuries. It’s why he’s recently talked about learning how to take a fall and other injury-avoidance measures. 

It’s also why wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal was adamant on the topic during a recent interview. 

"We don't want him to get crushed," Lal said. "Ladd's a competitor; he's going to try and catch the ball, and if it's three people there, he is going to try and run through all of them. But this is the NFL, you will get hurt."

McConkey only technically missed one game last year, but he suffered multiple injuries. There was the hip injury in Week 6, then shoulder and knee injuries in Week 13. Other nagging, wear and tear items were probably factors at some point, too. 

The solution is a combination of McConkey doing a better job of protecting himself and not doing too much in the moment, sure. But it’s also on the Chargers to build a more robust offense that doesn’t demand so much of him. 

To that end, the Chargers upgraded the offensive line, adding Najee Harris and first-rounder Omarion Hampton to the backfield and brought back Mike Williams for the passing attack before taking Tre Harris in the second round. 

In theory, all of the above, plus McConkey’s adaptations, could be enough to avoid durability concerns in 2025.