Los Angeles Chargers: What does the future look like for Forrest Lamp?
By Travis Wakeman
In what is slowly becoming a dismal season for the Los Angeles Chargers, the team has lost yet another young player to a tough injury.
Unfortunately for Forrest Lamp, this isn’t the first major injury he’s had to deal with. The former second-round pick, who will miss the rest of the season with a broken fibula, also tore his ACL in one of his first training camp practices as a rookie, missing that season.
Lamp returned the following season after a minor knee operation and was a healthy scratch for much of the year, observing his team from the sidelines.
It looked like he was finally going to make his mark this season as he was given a shot to get on the field and he showed plenty of promise in the limited action that he had. When he went down with the broken fibula and word came out that he would miss the rest of the season, it had to be a heart-sinking feeling for him, just as it was for all the fans that have waited for him to show what he can do.
Lamp has been incredibly unlucky, but if you can’t stay on the field, you won’t be around the league long. In three seasons, Lamp has played in just seven games. That doesn’t exactly provide much hope for the future.
And what does that future hold for the young offensive lineman? Lamp is only 25 years old but will be entering the final year of his rookie deal with the team. Soon, the team will likely be forced to make some tough decisions in regard to Lamp. Will he even be part of the team next year? That is a legitimate question.
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It would be unfortunate for the team to move on from Lamp next season, but he has shown that he can’t really be relied on to this point in his career. That said, with all of the struggles the team’s offensive line has had and continues to have, Lamp is worthy of at least one more season with the team to see if he can ever become the steal in the draft that many thought he was.
Michael Schofield, Trent Scott and Ryan Groy will all be unrestricted free agents at season’s end, making it likely that the Chargers give Lamp every chance to be a part of the team going forward and perhaps even one that can make a difference on a regular basis.
Of course, staying on the field and avoiding the trainer’s room will be the key for the remainder of Lamp’s career.