8. Ladd McConkey
The Los Angeles Chargers lost its best wide receiver, Ladd McConkey, to a chest injury in the first game of the season on Sunday. McConkey took a big hit in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals and proceeded to leave the game, never to return to the field. There is currently no update on McConkey, but coach Jim Harbaugh not having any updates up to this point can be perceived as a good thing, meaning the wide receiver likely does not have any broken ribs.
While that is a great optic, there still is no update on McConkey, meaning there could be more testing in the works to clear him. So far, things are looking up with there not being an immediate update on his condition. As such, he hopefully will not miss much time, if any, due to the chest injury.
7. Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback room
Heading into Week 1 of the regular season, Tua Tagovailoa was the final quarterback to be named a starter across the league. The veteran ball-thrower lasted a matter of days at the top spot for the Atlanta Falcons before sustaining an oblique injury during practice, causing him to miss the season opener in Pittsburgh. Tagovailoa is deemed day-to-day with the ailment, but one has to ask whether or not he will see the field this season, with Michael Penix Jr. expected to be ready at some point before Week 4, given he did not begin the year on injured reserve, as he continues to heal from his torn ACL from 2025.
6. Omar Cooper Jr.
The New York Jets sustained a big hit to its wide receiver room on Sunday during its win over the Tennessee Titans. First-round pick Omar Cooper Jr. left the game in the first quarter due to an ankle injury. While the Jets got the win in its season opener, the rookie receiver sustained a sprained ankle.
The extent of the injury is currently unknown, and it is unclear when Cooper will next be active for the Jets. As such, coverages can shift more toward Garrett Wilson unless someone else in the pass-catching room can take some of the pressure away from the veteran receiver. That will create problems for the offense as a whole if no one can step up and take some defensive attention off of Wilson.
Add us as a preferred source on Google