Chargers Clips
Tight end Brock Bowers was back at practice for the Raiders on Friday, but it looks like he is going to miss another game.
Head coach Klint Kubiak said at his Friday press conference that Bowers will be listed as doubtful to play against the Chargers this Sunday. Kubiak said that the plan is for Bowers to work out ahead of the game before a final decision is made, but the listing makes it unlikely that will result in a green light to play.
Assuming he is ruled out, Michael Mayer will be the team’s top tight end for the second straight week.
Cornerback Darien Porter (foot) has been ruled out for the Raiders this weekend.
The Raiders welcomed a key player back to their practice field on Friday.
Reporters at the open portion of practice shared that tight end Brock Bowers is on the field for the first time since having meniscus surgery last week. Videos showed Bowers stretching and doing some warmup work alongside defensive end Maxx Crosby.
The Raiders will close much of practice to outside observers, so Bowers’ participation level won’t be known until the team releases its injury report later in the day. The same is true of any injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Chargers.
One Friday practice may not be enough for Bowers to be ready to make his regular season debut, but his appearance on the field is a good sign that his full return to action should not be far away.
Thursday night was a good night for the Bills on most fronts, but one exception was the shoulder injury that knocked wide receiver DJ Moore out of the game in the second quarter.
Moore was ruled out for the rest of the night after halftime and head coach Joe Brady had no update on his condition in his postgame press conference. On Friday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Moore avoided a major injury and is considered day-to-day moving into Week 3.
The Bills will have extended time before hosting the Chargers on September 27, which should help Moore’s chances of making it back into the lineup without missing a game.
Moore did not have a catch before leaving the game, but did run once for one-yard loss. He had five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.
The Raiders practiced without tight end Brock Bowers again on Thursday.
Bowers has not practiced since having surgery on his meniscus last week. Head coach Klint Kubiak said earlier this week that he hoped Bowers would be able to return to practice, so Friday will be the last chance for that to happen before the Raiders face the Chargers.
Michael Mayer would be the team’s top tight end if Bowers remains out. He had six catches for 32 yards in last Sunday’s win over the Dolphins.
Cornerback Darien Porter (foot) was also out of practice for the second straight day and quarterback Aidan O’Connell missed practice for personal reasons. Running back Ashton Jeanty (ankle) was listed as a full participant.
Expectations for the pairing of quarterback Justin Herbert with offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel started high and kept rising all offseason, but the Chargers’ first outing of the 2026 season fell far short of them.
The Chargers gained 268 yards and turned the ball over twice in a 26-14 home loss to the Cardinals. The Chargers entered the game as the biggest favorites of the week and McDaniel called the result “a case of humble pie” at a press conference on Thursday.
“You have a lot of visions over coming to a new team and working on something for months and the vision never looked like that,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel called the offensive performance “shocking” based on what he’s seen in practice, but said that he remains confident in what the team can do because of the way players have “understood the moment and risen to the occasion” this week.
The chances of rebounding against the Raiders will be slimmer if wide receiver Ladd McConkey is unable to play through his rib injury, but McDaniel, Herbert and the rest of the unit will have to find a way regardless of the circumstances if belief in their capabilities are going to remain as high as they were earlier this year.
Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. caught only one pass in his team’s win over the Chargers on Sunday, which Harrison says was a result of Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh focusing the defense on shutting him down.
Harrison played three years at Ohio State when Harbaugh was Michigan’s head coach, and Harrison said Harbaugh game plans for him.
“I’m familiar with Harbaugh, going up against the team up north for many years, and how they played me a lot of the time, and they still hjave the same respect for me,” Harrison said. “So I had a feeling going into the game that I wasn’t going to see many one-high looks.”
Harrison’s one catch was for 33 yards, and he said that was one of the few plays when the Chargers’ coverage wasn’t designed to shut him down.
“We threw the go ball and completed that one,” Harrison said. “We’re not going to get many opportunities, but when we did we capitalized on the way we had. It’s a part of the game, everybody’s going to have their weeks, have their days, but at the end of the day the team won, and all you can do is your part.”
Harrison is in his third season and so far hasn’t developed into the All-Pro receiver he was expected to be when he was starring at Ohio State. At some point, he needs to find a way to make more plays, no matter what the defense is doing.
One of the Chargers’ key receivers is still working through an injury and his availability is now in question for Week 2.
Per Kris Rhim of ESPN, receiver Ladd McConkey was working off to the side with a trainer at Thursday’s practice as he deals with a rib injury.
McConkey went down during Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals after taking a hard hit. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has characterized McConkey as day-to-day.
The young receiver did not practice on Thursday.
McConkey caught 66 passes for 789 yards with six touchdowns for Los Angeles last season. He had five receptions for 82 yards with a TD before exiting Sunday’s loss.
The Chargers’ full Thursday injury report will be released later in the day.
The Chargers won’t have wide receiver Ladd McConkey at practice on Wednesday.
McConkey suffered a rib injury in the second half of last Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals and did not return to action. Head coach Jim Harbaugh called McConkey day-to-day on Monday and said on Wednesday, via multiple reporters, that he will not participate in the team’s first practice of the week.
The Chargers placed wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith on injured reserve Tuesday. They signed Gary Jennings off of the practice squad and added veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling to their practice squad.
Harbaugh also said, via Kris Rhim of ESPN, defensive back Elijah Molden will also miss practice due to a hamstring injury while defensive lineman Teair Tart and offensive lineman Trey Pipkins will sit with undisclosed injuries.
Raiders tight end Brock Bowers will not be on the field to start the practice week, but he may be on it soon.
Head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters in his Wednesday press conference that Bowers (knee) is not yet ready to practice. But Kubiak said he’s hopeful that Bowers will be able to return this week.
Bowers underwent a meniscus trim last week. He’s still considered day-to-day.
In 12 games last season, Bowers caught 64 passes for 680 yards with seven touchdowns.
Additionally, cornerback Darien Porter (foot) is not slated to practice on Wednesday and is considered day-to-day.
The Raiders will issue their first injury report for the Week 2 matchup against the Chargers later on Wednesday.
The Chargers are signing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to their practice squad, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Valdes-Scantling, 31, spent training camp with the Cowboys, but they released him on cutdown day.
The Chargers needed help at the position after injuries to wide receivers Ladd McConkey (rib), KeAndre Lambert-Smith (hamstring) and Derius Derives (undisclosed). Lambert-Smith landed on injured reserve Tuesday.
The Chargers replaced Lambert-Smith on the active roster by signing wide receiver Gary Jennings from the practice squad.
The Packers selected Valdes-Scantling in the fifth round in 2018, and he spent his first four seasons in Green Bay. He has also played for the Chiefs, Bills, Saints, 49ers and Steelers.
Valdes-Scantling has totaled 219 receptions for 3,686 yards and 21 touchdowns.
