The Los Angeles Chargers offensive line will be critical to the team’s success this season, making it one of the biggest storylines in NFL training camp this summer. Just a few weeks into Chargers training camp, it seems the coaching staff already knows who will be the starting five in Week 1.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, head coach Jim Harbaugh said the team is “pretty much settled” on its offensive line for 2025. As detailed by Daniel Popper of The Athletic, the Chargers’ offensive line will consist of Rashawn Slater (left tackle), Zion Johnson (left guard), Bradley Bozeman (center), Mekhi Becton (right guard), and Joe Alt (right tackle).
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Johnson, the 17th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, rotated between center and guard throughout offseason practices. The 6-foot-3 lineman had an opportunity to compete with Bozeman to be the Chargers’ center, with the front office believing he might have a higher ceiling at that spot.
It didn’t take long for Los Angeles to move on from that notion. After three padded practices and 12 snaps in the Hall of Fame Game at center, the Chargers coaching staff ended the experiment. Ultimately, Johnson’s issues snapping the football proved to be the biggest problem.
“The versatility that’s been created has been really good. I think that definitely, at every step of this process, Zion has shown real upside, a high ceiling, to have the ability to play center as well as be a starting guard.”
Jim Harbaugh on Los Angeles Chargers offensive lineman Zion Johnson (via The Athletic)
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Johnson still gets to be a starter this season, playing alongside an All-Pro in Slater. Harbaugh’s comments also suggest that if Bozeman suffers an injury and Johnson shows improvement in the next few months while working off to the side, he could fill in at center.
As for where Los Angeles ranks among the best NFL offensive lines right now, the unit was ranked 10th by Pro Football Focus in July, and former lineman Kyle Long ranked them in a four-team tier as solid for CBS Sports. While Slater and Alt are doing the heavy lifting in those ranks,