When training camp opened, the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line was widely considered one of the team’s strengths. General manager Joe Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh had invested significant capital into building a group designed to protect Justin Herbert and power a run-first offense.
But in just one week, that confidence has evaporated.
Last week, CBS Sports’ Jared Durbin identified the offensive line as the Chargers’ “biggest challenge” moving forward — a striking shift for a unit that looked settled not long ago. The cause: the season-ending knee injury suffered by left tackle Rashawn Slater, who had just signed a four-year, $114 million extension.
“Now, Joe Alt will slide back across the offensive line to the left side,” Durbin wrote. “That means Trey Pipkins will likely get the first crack at the right tackle job. We’ve seen his work at times over the years, and it’s nothing to write home about. Maybe if it doesn’t work out, Jamaree Salyer gets a chance, or maybe Mekhi Becton kicks outside, Andre James plays center and Zion Johnson moves back to guard. Who knows? The point is there are suddenly questions here, when a week ago, there weren’t.”
Harbaugh’s Philosophy Put to the Test
Do You Have Big Kicker Energy?
For Harbaugh, the sudden uncertainty strikes at the heart of his football identity. The new head coach has been clear about where he believes games are won and lost.
“The offensive line to me is important,” Harbaugh said earlier this month. “If I asked you the question, what position group depends on no other position group to be good, but every other position group depends on them to be good — what position group is that? Offensive line. They’re not relying on any other position group to be good, but yet every other position group relies on the offensive line to be good.”
Now that line is missing its most important piece.
Scrambling for Answers
Slater’s absence means Alt, the No. 5 overall pick in April’s draft, will take over at left tackle far earlier than expected. Pipkins, who has been inconsistent at best, is penciled in at right tackle. Meanwhile, Becton — the Chargers’ $20 million offseason signing — remains limited with an undisclosed issue, raising more questions about depth.
That leaves a projected starting group of Alt, Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Salyer, and Pipkins, a unit that feels patched together rather than dominant, with questions at four of the five positions.
The ripple effects are hard to ignore. Herbert was sacked 41 times last season, and the Chargers ranked dead last in the league in run-block win rate. With Harbaugh determined to lean on a physical, run-first system, protection breakdowns could derail his vision before it ever takes hold.
A Problem That Didn’t Exist a Week Ago
Durbin summed it up best: just a week ago, this wasn’t even a question. Now it’s the question.
The Chargers built their offseason around the idea that Herbert would finally operate behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. Instead, they enter September searching for answers at the very position group Harbaugh insists every other part of the roster depends on.
Subscribe to LAFB Network’s Los Angeles Chargers YouTube Channel