McConkey’s presence is an encouraging sign for the Chargers, who had a disappointing start to the season with an unexpected loss to Arizona at SoFi Stadium. The Chargers will try to bounce back in Week 2 against their AFC West rivals, the Raiders.

The divisional showdown is in LA and having McConkey involved in the offense would be huge for the Chargers. Before leaving in the third quarter of the season opener, the wideout posted five receptions for 82 yards with one touchdown.

Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel utilized McConkey heavily in Week 1, and the expectation moving forward is the Georgia product will continue to be a key cog in the Chargers’ offense.

McConkey is coming off a down year as he recorded 789 yards with six touchdowns in 2025, which was far from the performance he had during his rookie season in 2024.

In his third year in the NFL, McConkey will look to replicate his rookie season which featured 1,149 yards with seven touchdowns.

McDaniel’s offense looked lost in Week 1 and mustered only 14 points against the Cardinals’ defense.

“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.

The Bolts will have to make the necessary improvements to avoid going 0-2 to open the season. McConkey’s return to practice is certainly a step in the right direction for LA.