We finally have some clarity on the injury Tyler Biadasz suffered at the Chargers-49ers joint practice yesterday. Per Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, Biadasz suffered a damaged ACL in addition to other injuries in his left knee. NFL/ESPN's Mike Garafolo had said earlier in the day that the Chargers center would have a "long term absence" with "several injured ligaments".
Via The Athletic's Daniel Popper, the Chargers released a statement that Biadasz got more imaging done yesterday after practice and is seeking additional medical opinions.
It's panic time for the Chargers after the Tyler Biadasz update everyone was waiting for.
While Biadasz hasn't been declared out for the entire season, that seems to be more of a byproduct of seeking the proper treatment as opposed to true optimism he can return. For at least almost the entirety of the 2026 season, Jake Slaughter will now start at center barring another move.
The Chargers built their offensive line improvements around OC Mike McDaniel's scheme first. But the figure central to that improvement was the perceived upgrade Biadasz was in comparison to Bradley Bozeman. The Shanahan offenses don't particularly value guard play. Joe Hortiz, Jim Harbaugh, and McDaniel were banking on Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, and Biadasz. One of those players is likely done for the season while Slater has not returned to practice yet.
It's an opportunity for Slaughter, but also a huge challenge. For 3-4 months, QB Justin Herbert and Biadasz worked with the first-team offense exclusively. Now the Chargers have just about three weeks to get Slaughter up to speed. They also face a dilemma regarding tomorrow's preseason game-will they still start Justin Herbert at QB without Slater and Biadasz? They have called an audible before like when Slater got injured prior to the Saints game last season. One could argue they need the reps, but the flip side of that coin would be protecting their biggest asset. We'll see.
The Chargers were prepared to not start Slaughter this season as recently as Mike McDaniel's press conference on Monday afternoon. Now, his play at the teams' starting center position will define their season. They are throwing the Florida product way into the deep end.
It's a shame for Biadasz and an organization that banked on him to be able to compete for a title. Hopefully, Biadasz's injuries aren't severe enough to the point where it affects his 2027 availability. But it's a dark day for Chargers football to say the least.
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