The Los Angeles Chargers received the worst possible news following Thursday’s practice. Their star left tackle in Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending ruptured patella tendon and will undergo surgery to repair the ailment, per the team. This comes after the Chargers recently made Slater the highest-paid tackle in the NFL, as they inked their former 2021 first-round pick to a monster four year, $114 million contract with $92 million guaranteed.
This certainly throws a massive wrench into the Chargers’ plans, who were hoping to take the next step as an offense. The Bolts gave Justin Herbert some solid weapons over the last two drafts, adding Ladd McConkey, Tre Harris, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Omarion Hampton and Oronde Gadsden II among others. They also recently brought back fan-favorite and Chargers legend Keenan Allen on a one year deal.
Where do the Chargers go from here?
The Chargers aren’t going to replace Slater’s production, that’s just unrealistic to believe. For now, they’ve slotted Trey Pipkins III at right tackle and moved Joe Alt to the left side to protect Herbert’s blindside. Their starting offensive line looks like this: Alt at left tackle, Zion Johnson at left guard, Bradley Bozeman at center, Mekhi Becton at right guard and Pipkins at right tackle.
In order to sure up protection on Herbert’s blindside, one might have to assume the Chargers are thinking of moving Becton, whom they signed to a two year, $20 million deal in free agency, over to left guard. It’d be a risky move to leave the right side of the offensive line as the weakest area, but at least Herbert would be able to sense pressure from that area.
The tackle market currently isn’t exactly appetizing, but an option the Chargers may have to look to. The best option currently is George Fant, the 33-year-old who last played with the Seattle Seahawks and was released in March following a slew of injuries in 2024. Not exactly the most reassuring recent track record, but when healthy, Fant would be a more-than-serviceable option for the Chargers at tackle and a massive upgrade over Pipkins.
The Chargers have just about one month to figure out their plan to replace Slater before Week 1, as they’ll host the rival Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil.