The Los Angeles Chargers' protection, even with their pair of star tackles in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater in the fold, already wasn't sufficient to get this offense where it needed to be.
Both Alt and Slater returned admirably from the injuries that ended their 2025 campaigns, and both were playing at a relatively high level at this point in the season. Although Alt was suffering from some penalty issues, he had allowed just three pressures on 130 pass-blocking snaps. Slater, while still acclimating back into high-level NFL play, had allowed eight pressures on 152 pass-blocking snaps.
With a viable interior, those numbers should've been good enough to keep Herbert largely clean as the offense found its footing. But none of the options Los Angeles has tried at left guard have been truly inspiring, and now all three of their primary choices—Kayode Awosika, Trey Pipkins III, and Trevor Penning—appear set to miss this Week 5 game against the Denver Broncos. That, in and of itself, could prove to be disastrous.
But the Chargers got even worse news on Wednesday night. Per Ian Rapoport, Joe Alt is expected to be out on Sunday against the Broncos with the neck injury he sustained in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks. Left tackle Rashawn Slater also sustained a high-ankle sprain in that game, and he'll likely be out multiple weeks—although the IR doesn't seem to be a true option Los Angeles is exploring at this time.
Denver's defense hasn't had the bite we've become accustomed to so far this season, but their pass rush is certainly still lethal. Herbert, who's already been banged up and hounded by opposing pass rushers this season, is now entering a divisional matchup with two rookies projected to start at tackle.
This is simply an unacceptable scenario, and the most Chargers fans can do is hope that Herbert can come out of this game healthy.
Justin Herbert is entering a rivalry matchup with potentially his worst offensive line in recent memory
Assuming Penning misses this matchup and Branson Taylor isn't ready for action after having his practice period activated earlier this week, the Chargers' starting offensive line could look much like it did last week by the end of the game. Rookie tackles Travis Burke and Logan Taylor were in at the bookends, while rookie center Jake Slaughter slotted over to left guard and UDFA Jacob Spomer took over center duties. By the end of the game, Cole Strange was the only starter left in his usual spot.
Even at the Chargers' lowest moments last season, they still had Zion Johnson and some other veteran presences along the line in Austin Deculus and Bobby Hart. It certainly wasn't good enough, and Herbert finished the season getting sacked at nearly the highest rate in the league. But there was at least some experience there—some sense of cohesion and what proper protection requires.
There's a real chance Herbert enters the game on Sunday with four rookies in front of him in pass protection. He's already been sacked 12 times this season with the Chargers' line mostly intact.
We've litigated Hortiz's offseason approach sufficiently to this point—it doesn't need to be fully re-hashed here. But it's at least worth providing a simple reminder that, while the Chargers had over $100 million in cap space, they chose to work in the bargain bin of free agency and the later rounds of the draft to replenish what was likely the worst O-line in the league last season. Hortiz can't help the injuries on the field, but we're now seeing exactly what the price of that sort of maneuvering can be.
Burke showed enough in the preseason to feel relatively confident if he needed to step in for a game or two. But Logan Taylor simply hasn't had the reps to feel anything other than anxious about him getting the start, and the struggles of the rest of this offensive line provide almost no margin for error.
Perhaps, in these sorts of disadvantageous circumstances, we see the superhero version of Herbert show up again. He certainly played his best ball of the season when the structure around him broke down last week in the second half against Seattle, scrambling and making out-of-system plays to give his team a shot at the comeback.
But the last thing Los Angeles can afford right now, obviously, is an injury to Herbert. Trey Lance simply isn't the type of backup quarterback that can move the ball downfield consistently and give his team a chance to win on a weekly basis. With Alt and Slater now out, though, the Chargers are leaving Herbert as vulnerable as he's ever been—against a formidable defense, no less.
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