Rashawn Slater was carted out of LA Chargers practice on Thursday with an apparent left leg injury just a week after signing a record-setting extension. While the exact details of the injury are still unknown, the early signs are not promising for the star left tackle.
Assuming Slater will miss an extended period of time, the Chargers will likely shift Joe Alt to left tackle and start Trey Pipkins where he is more comfortable at right tackle. That is what the Chargers did last season in Week 18 when Slater did not play.
Pipkins was the starting guard last season so when he shifted to right tackle the team started Jamaree Salyer. That won't be needed in 2025 with Mekhi Becton as the new starting right guard, so that is a relief.
However, there is another glaring hole on the offensive line that is made even worse by this Slater injury. With Slater presumably missing significant time, the Chargers' decision to ignore the left guard and center position this offseason looks even worse.
Chargers' offseason gamble ages poorly after Rashawn Slater injury
Left guard and center were going to be the weak points of the offensive line regardless. It just would have been a lot easier to stomach with two All-Pro-caliber tackles helping support the interior offensive line.
With one of those tackles potentially out of the picture, the pressure at left guard and center was just turned up to 11. And unfortunately, Chargers fans know exactly what this interior offensive line looks like when the pressure is turned up to 11.
Just for context, the Chargers will be starting three of the league's worst starting linemen from last season (one not being their fault in Pipkins). Pipkins and Zion Johnson ranked 44th among 50 guards with at least 500 pass-blocking snaps in Pro Football Focus' Pass Blocking Efficiency.
And to make matters worse, Becton had the exact same efficiency rating as both Pipkins and Johnson! So even though Becton appears to be an upgrade, the Chargers are starting three guards in 2025 who ranked in the bottom 12th percentile last season.
Bozeman wasn't much better. He allowed the fourth-most pressures of any center in the league last season.
Were the Chargers going to build the best offensive line in the sport overnight? Not at all. And even the best offensive lines have weak points that other teams exploit.
However, left guard and center were such obvious needs for the Bolts that were pretty much ignored throughout the offseason. Perhaps the Chargers did that because they got too comfortable in having the best tackle duo in the sport.
But it still makes no sense that with a deep free-agent market and good draft class that the team didn't commit more resources to what was the biggest issue with the offense last season. Now, with Slater potentially out for a long period of time, this baffling mistake is under the spotlight.