For the first time in months, clarity is beginning to emerge along the Los Angeles Chargers offensive line — a unit that entered the offseason with more questions than answers. With new head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz committed to revamping the trenches, the picture is slowly coming into focus.
Jake Hefner of Chargers Unleashed posted to x.com, “Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on how the competition between the LG and C position is going: ‘Really good, Zion and Boze have been doing what we have foreseen and that is working out really well.’ He says that the timeline to make a decision on those positions would be about eight to ten days into camp.”
Los Angeles Chargers Offensive Line Taking Shape, But Questions Remain Inside
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper then posted a picture of what seems to be the top 5 options for the starting offensive line; “OL: LT Rashawn Slater, LG Bradley Bozeman, C Zion Johnson, RG Mekhi Becton, RT Joe Alt”
As it stands, the tackles are set. Former All-Pro Rashawn Slater returns at left tackle, and rookie standout Joe Alt is penciled in on the right side. Next to him, Harbaugh confirmed that recent free-agent signing Mekhi Becton — all 6-foot-7 and 363 pounds of him — will start at right guard. A former tackle, Becton helped anchor the Eagles’ Super Bowl run last season while transitioning to the interior, and Harbaugh isn’t hiding his excitement.
“You just start visualizing that size, that length on the right side with Mekhi and Joe,” Harbaugh said. “The run blocking is elite. Pass blocking as well, elite.”
That stabilizes three of five starting spots. But the interior remains a fluid situation — particularly at center and left guard, where nothing is settled yet. The biggest storyline: 2022 first-round pick Zion Johnson is being tested at center after two seasons at left guard. Harbaugh said Monday the team is “really excited” about Johnson’s potential in the role, citing his work at the position during the Senior Bowl coming out of college.
Bozeman, who started at center for the Chargers in 2024, offers a safety net — along with Andre James, a veteran with 60 career starts in Las Vegas. The Chargers clearly built in contingency plans in case the Johnson experiment stalls.
Even if center is eventually settled, that leaves a new hole at left guard — Johnson’s old position — and it’s less obvious who fills it. Trey Pipkins III, who started at right guard last year after moving from tackle, has “probably been the No. 1 guy” at LG during OTAs, per Harbaugh. But Pipkins has never played the position in a regular-season game, and his run blocking was inconsistent last year.
Bozeman, too, could compete at left guard if Johnson sticks at center — though pass protection has always been his weakness.
Harbaugh is keeping an open mind. “You don’t count people out. Just because they haven’t done something doesn’t mean they can’t,” he said.
Still, the message is clear: the left side of the line remains a work in progress. While the addition of Becton and the steady presence of Alt and Slater give the group a stronger foundation, the interior will remain under the microscope heading into camp.
With quarterback Justin Herbert returning from injury and Harbaugh committed to building a physical identity up front, how the Chargers resolve center and left guard will shape the tone — and ceiling — of their offense in 2025.
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