LOS ANGELES -- For all the good Ladd McConkey did in the best rookie wide receiver season in Chargers history -- he routinely frustrated wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal.
Amid racking up the most receiving yards (1,149) and receptions (82) by a rookie in franchise history in 2024, McConkey, who came into the NFL at 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds, often ended up on the wrong side of big hits from defenders.
Those hits led to injuries.
McConkey suffered a hip injury in a Week 6 win over the Denver Broncos, and also shoulder and knee injuries against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13 that forced him to miss the following game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"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."
To help McConkey avoid such hits, Lal had highlight tapes of receivers Tyler Lockett, whom Lal coached in Seattle, and former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman made.
Lockett and Edelman are similar to McConkey in size but had longevity in the NFL. Edelman played 10 seasons and Lockett is entering his eleventh -- partly because of how they learned to avoid unnecessary hits. Both receivers would fall or dive before defenders could touch them, avoiding unnecessary wear and tear on their smaller football frames.
In Lal's mind, Lockett sometimes would fall too early. Edelman's approach was better, but Lal's hope is that McConkey will combine these players' styles to avoid further injuries.
"There's an art to falling down," McConkey said with a smile. "... Obviously, there's times like third down it's like I gotta do what I gotta do to get the first down. I'm always going to do that. But just being smart within the game."
If he stays healthy, it could make a difference in how far this team goes in 2025.
The Chargers offense was the team's Achilles' heel last season. From Week 2 to Week 6, the Chargers didn't score a touchdown in the second half. The five-game stretch without a score was the longest streak since the Baltimore Ravens' from Weeks 14-18 in 2022 when Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman was in Baltimore.
In the 694 plays that McConkey was on the field (68.3% of total offensive plays) last season, the Chargers averaged 5.8 yards per play, which ranked in the top ten in the NFL. In the 323 plays without McConkey (31.7%), they averaged 4.5 yards per play, which tied for league-worst.
McConkey also led the NFL in the percentage of the team's receiving yards against man coverage (41.2%), and he finished second in the NFL in percentage of the team's total receptions against man coverage (34.7%).
"Ladd exceeded every expectation I had," Lal said. "His skill set is really off the charts. ... He's been better than advertised, really."
But McConkey's breakout wasn't enough for the Chargers offense. That was evident in the team's wild-card round loss to the Houston Texans. McConkey had nine catches for 197 yards and a touchdown but the Chargers lost convincingly, 32-12. All other wide receivers combined for 14 yards.
The Chargers are hopeful this year, however, that their new additions and returning players will give quarterback Justin Herbert more options than just McConkey in the passing offense.
Among those new additions is second-round pick Tre Harris. After the Chargers drafted him, Harris said he was excited to show fans his ability to make deep contested catches. Since then, McConkey said Harris has already been "eager to learn" and projects him contributing significantly this season.
There's also Quentin Johnston, the Chargers' 2023 first-round pick, whose play has been inconsistent. Johnston had the best game of his career in Week 18 of last season against the Las Vegas Raiders, catching 13 passes for 186 yards, both career highs. A week later, he had five targets for no receptions in the loss to the Texans. Those two weeks were a microcosm of Johnston's career.
Nonetheless, Johnston, who finished with 711 yards and a team-high eight receiving touchdowns, said he gained confidence in 2024.
"I feel like a lot of stuff just slowed down for me," Johnston said. "I was able to just think more clear. Obviously having a better understanding of what I'm doing."
Despite the Chargers drafting Harris and signing veteran Mike Williams, Lal said he sees Johnston as a starter alongside McConkey.
McConkey has become the leader of the wide receiver group. He is first in drills at practices, and, according to Lal, has stopped drills to direct the group if he doesn't deem their performance up to team standards.
And as the Chargers look to contend again in 2025, they'll be reliant on that group to perform.