Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack avoids significant injury layoff

EL SEGUNDO — All-Pro outside linebacker Khalil Mack will be sidelined for only a few weeks, avoiding a long-term layoff after suffering a dislocated left elbow during the Chargers’ 20-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night, Coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed Wednesday.

Harbaugh said Mack would be placed on injured reserve, which means he would miss a minimum of four games. As is his custom, Harbaugh declined to provide further details of Mack’s injury. The NFL Network was the first to report that Mack’s injury was not so severe that it would be season-ending.

Mack was hurt while attempting to make a tackle on the final play of the first quarter. He collided with teammate Troy Dye as they closed ranks on Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker after a completion from quarterback Geno Smith near the Chargers’ sideline. Mack’s left arm bent in an unnatural position.

Chargers athletic trainers raced from the sideline to tend to Mack, who then ran from the field clutching his left arm. He retreated to the blue medical tent behind the Chargers’ bench and then departed for the locker room moments later. He returned to the bench later with his arm in a sling.

“It’s one of the toughest things I’ve ever seen, and he wasn’t going to sit on the field or lie down on the field,” Harbaugh said. “Man, just another level of respect for the toughness of ‘K-Mack.’ Just when you thought you couldn’t go to another level of esteem. He’s got the power of healing.”

Mack’s loss could be difficult but not impossible for the Chargers to overcome in the coming weeks. Tuli Tuipulotu has become a forceful pass rusher in his own right since the Chargers drafted him in the second round in 2023. He had five tackles in the Chargers’ victory on Monday night.

In addition, veteran edge rusher Bud Dupree replaced Mack for the remainder of the game against the Raiders and is expected to do so again when the Chargers play host to the Denver Broncos on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Caleb Murphy also will be asked to play an enhanced role.

“First, Tuli, start there,” Harbaugh said of Tuipulotu, who moved into a void created after the Chargers released longtime edge rusher Joey Bosa last winter. “He played an incredible game, 52 or 54 snaps, six quarterback pressures, a (tackle for loss and passes broken up). He really played well.”

Harbaugh also said rookie edge rusher Kyle Kennard and second-year player Justin Eboigbe could be options as the Chargers seek to replace Mack with depth over the next four games. It’s also possible the Chargers could seek help from outside the organization, signing a free agent.

“We’re always looking,” Harbaugh said.

Mack, 34, sacked Smith earlier in the game to increase his total to 108½ over his Hall of Fame-caliber, 12-season NFL career. He was a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first three seasons with the Chargers, after spending four seasons each with the then-Oakland Raiders and the Chicago Bears.

The Chargers signed Mack to a new one-season contract worth a guaranteed $18 million on March 10. He will be sidelined for the Chargers’ upcoming games against the Broncos, New York Giants, Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins. The earliest he could play would be Oct. 19 against the Indianapolis Colts.

“He’s Wolverine,” Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. said of Mack, referring to the character from the “X-Men” series of comic books and movies who can regenerate his many serious battle injuries in a matter of only seconds or minutes. “He’s not human. He’s Wolverine.”