The Los Angeles Chargers, for the most part, have made major strides in addressing the sub-par offensive protection that plagued them last season.
Even if you take into account the season-ending injuries to Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, what the Chargers had on the interior was not enough to account for Greg Roman's run-heavy scheme. Bradley Bozeman and Mekhi Becton were among the worst in the NFL at their respective positions. Although Zion Johnson showed some flashes of competency, his consistency wasn't necessarily all that inspiring, either.
The returns of Alt and Slater, plus the addition of Tyler Biadasz at center, all represent unimaginable upgrades for the Chargers. All of this talent can be maximized by Mike McDaniel's zone-blocking scheme, which dials into the athleticism and agility of its linemen rather than their raw power.
But until things actually play out this season, Los Angeles' signing of Cole Strange to take over the starting right guard spot comes with an unavoidable downside. While there's more than enough reason to be optimistic considering McDaniel's confidence in Strange, his presence on the offensive line leaves a margin for error that's greater than what the Chargers can ultimately be comfortable with.
If he falls flat, even in McDaniel's scheme, it opens the door for another disaster for the Chargers' interior O-line in 2026.
The Cole Strange signing is a gamble— and it's one that won't pay off until he has a sustained season of success
In a recent piece for Bleacher Report, NFL writer Moe Moton identified one potential bust for each team in 2026. You can guess who he tabbed for the Chargers:
"During free agency, the Los Angeles Chargers lost a below-average guard, Zion Johnson, and signed another subpar guard, Cole Strange. The latter's shaky pass protection may cost him his starting job this year... In 2022, the New England Patriots overdrafted Strange in the first round. This offseason, the Chargers overpaid him on a two-year, $13 million deal. He may hold on to his job only to keep fellow disappointing 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning on the sideline." Moe Moton, Bleacher Report
In a sense, Moton's analysis is overly harsh. Even if Strange falls flat in his new role, two years and $13 million is not the type of overpay that will hamstring the Chargers' financial flexibility moving forward.
But there's also reason to believe Strange can be successful in a new environment. His metrics at the start of last season were admittedly rough. Across his first five outings, he allowed 12 total pressures and one sack, per Pro Football Focus. But as the season went on and he got acclimated to McDaniel's scheme, he looked vastly improved. At the very least, his ability to limit penalties— he had one all last season compared to Becton's five— should grant some more stability to the interior O-line.
McDaniel is also excellent at scheming around his guards, using the motion of the offensive line and his quick-timing passing game to erase the potential for major mistakes on the interior.
But that doesn't mean we can just pretend the guard spots don't exist. Nor can we pretend that Strange hasn't had major struggles across his four NFL seasons.
With an ongoing competition between Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning, and Kayode Awosika for the starting left guard spot, the Chargers are depending on Strange to be a reliable, experienced presence on the right side of the line. In the best-case scenario, Strange can provide league-average protection under those conditions. For McDaniel and Los Angeles, that will be sufficient.
In the worst-case scenario, though, we get the version of Strange we saw early last season with Miami, and his inability to consistently guard against interior pressure compromises the viability of the line as a whole when extended passing plays are called for.
By gambling on Strange this offseason, that's the reality the Chargers must face. And that doubt won't be assuaged until we see a sustained season of production from the fifth-year guard.
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