Chargers WR Mike Williams inching closer to Week 1 return from shoulder injury

Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Shane Steichen is confident that receiver Mike Williams will be ready by Week 1, despite the shoulder injury he suffered from just a few weeks ago.

“Mike’s gotta be ready to play,” Steichen said, via Gilbert Manzano of the Orange County Register. “I think Mike has got that mindset to be ready to play, . . . We look forward to having him on September 13.”

That’s huge news for the Chargers franchise because last week Anthony Lynn didn’t sound too optimistic that Williams would return any time soon. There were reports saying that Williams would be out 3-4 weeks.

Williams, who’s coming off the best season of his career, should certainly hope that he stays injury-free this season. The 26-year-old is bound to receive a hefty contract this offseason after having a breakout season in 2019. Last season, Williams recorded 49 catches for 1,001 yards (a league-high 20.4 per catch). However, if he’s unable to stay healthy, the Chargers, as well as the rest of the NFL, might re-consider paying him a multi-year contract.

The Chargers have already announced they’ll start Tyrod Taylor for the quarterback position in Week 1, and probably for the rest of the season. So with that being said, the Chargers will most certainly need all of their receivers available to take some of the pressure off of Taylor. Taylor played in eight games for the Chargers last season; however, he didn’t start in any of the games he played.

The Chargers’ first regular-season matchup will be against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 13.