Ladd McConkey was supposed to be the steady piece of the Los Angeles Chargers’ passing game in 2026, the reliable target Justin Herbert could count on as Mike McDaniel installed a new offense around them.

Nine weeks in, McConkey has instead spent much of the season moving between the field, the blue medical tent, and the injury report, and his absence from Thursday’s practice has raised new concerns ahead of Monday night’s trip to Baltimore.

McConkey wasn’t on the final injury report before the Texans game and wasn’t among the inactives, but back spasms hit him during pregame warmups, and he didn’t play a single snap in the 44-22 loss. Jim Harbaugh called him day-to-day on Monday.

The receiver then opened the week as one of nine Chargers who didn’t practice Thursday, leaving two more sessions for him to show he’ll be ready for the Ravens.

The back spasms are only the most recent entry on a long list. McConkey left the opener early with a rib injury and had to play in a flak jacket the following week. He aggravated a foot injury in Week 4 against Seattle and limped off in the second half.

He was active in Week 5 but didn’t play. Then, in Week 6 at Kansas City, two Chiefs defenders hit him after a catch, and he left with a concussion. He has played a full game only twice all season.

At Georgia in 2023, McConkey injured his lower back in August, and the injury lingered through the season, costing him four games.

Back spasms aren’t necessarily linked to that old injury, but a history like that makes the latest setback harder to dismiss as a one-week issue.

McConkey has 17 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown in six games, averaging 16.8 yards per catch, and his four-catch, 86-yard performance against the Rams in Week 8 was a reminder of how quickly he can change an offense.

As a rookie in 2024, he caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns, breaking the franchise rookie records Keenan Allen had held, and he followed that with 66 catches for 789 yards and six scores last season.

Nearly every one of the Chargers’ original six receivers has missed time, and returner Derius Davis is the only one to play in all eight games.

Without McConkey, Herbert has been leaning on Quentin Johnston’s big-play ability and a group of young receivers still learning McDaniel’s system.

The Monday kickoff gives McConkey an extra day, and day-to-day back injuries can clear up quickly.

Still, for a Chargers team that has its best chance yet to win its first game, Friday’s and Saturday’s practice reports may say as much about Monday night’s outlook as anything Herbert does under center.