It goes without saying that the last few years have been an abject disaster for Los Angeles’ offensive line. Despite bright spots like Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, the pass protection for QB Justin Herbert has been brutal to watch. The run game was often feast or famine as well. In 2025, Alt and Slater suffered season-ending injuries.
While the offense could tread water in certain games, it was mostly a full-on cratering for the offensive line.
Los Angeles ended the season 32nd in pass block win rate and 31st in run block win rate. Justin Herbert being one of the most pressured and hit quarterbacks in the sport once again carried consequences. OC Greg Roman and offensive line coach Mike Devlin were promptly fired after the playoff loss in New England.
Big changes are coming to the Chargers’ offensive line in 2026.
Enter OC Mike McDaniel and OL coach Butch Barry. Per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, massive changes to how the offensive line practices have become apparent. In breaking down the changes, Popper wrote, “I have never seen offensive linemen run so much in a practice.”
Relative to Greg Roman’s gap heavy scheme, McDaniel prioritizes movement. It was part of the teams’ offseason approach. Speed and athleticism were prioritized more over functional strength. Cole Strange and Jake Slaughter being acquired to play guard this year is representative of that approach.
Popper said that Barry is demanding his players to come off the ball at the snap. Several run-game drills have prioritized the coaching staff’s need for their linemen to have some explosiveness.
Popper also provided a fairly promising update on the conditions of Slater and Alt. Both are in the process of rehabbing their way back from pretty brutal 2025 injuries. But at least for the time being, the Chargers’ top tackles seem to be ahead of schedule. Popper wrote that both tackles were moving very well for where they’re at in phase two of the offseason.
It’s still too early to tell where Slater and Alt will be by training camp practices. But at least for the time being, there’s no reason to think they won’t be ready by then.
In comparison to previous offseasons, it seems like the Chargers’ offensive line is on a much better path so far. Time will tell if the new approach keeps Herbert upright better than in the Roman offense era.
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