When the Los Angeles Chargers kicked off training camp last month, the only real issue surrounding the starters on the offensive line was Jim Harbaugh experimenting with flip-flopping Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson on the interior, with Bozeman moving from center to left guard and Johnson from left guard to center. That trial seems to be over, by the way.
But outside of that, the Bolts had new addition Mekhi Becton set to go at right guard (he returned to practice Tuesday, which is great news), with second-year stud Joe Alt at right tackle and two-time Pro Bowler Rashawn Slater at left tackle.
Everything changed, of course, when Slater suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon injury a couple of weeks back. As a result, Alt moved to left tackle, and now-former swing tackle Trey Pipkins III slid into the starting lineup at right tackle, which naturally created a need for a new swing tackle.
Harbaugh has been experimenting with several players to fill that slot, and the latest test subject appears to be rookie Branson Taylor, who played tackle at Pitt but was moved to guard upon arrival at rookie minicamp in May. According to Chargers analyst Daniel Popper of The Athletic, Taylor was working both tackle spots during Monday practice.
"The most noteworthy development is that Taylor is working at both tackle spots," Popper wrote. "The Chargers drafted Taylor in the sixth round of this year’s draft. He was a tackle at Pittsburgh, but the Chargers believed his best fit in the NFL would be at guard.
After Rashawn Slater’s season-ending injury, Trey Pipkins III has moved into the starting lineup. Pipkins was supposed to be the Chargers’ swing tackle. Now the Chargers are searching to fill that role. And as they search, they are trying out Taylor at his college position."
Branson Taylor reverts back to tackle as the Chargers get desperate for depth
With all due respect, the move can be nothing but a good thing for Taylor at this point, as he hasn't looked great at guard in the pair of preseason games in which he's appeared thus far.
In the Hall of Fame Game against the Detroit Lions, the 23-year-old took 24 snaps at right guard and 16 snaps at left guard and earned a dismal 48.2 overall PFF grade. His pass blocking (60.9) was better than his run blocking (46.8) that night in Canton, but after sitting out the Bolts' matchup with the New Orleans Saints, things went the other way this past weekend against the Los Angeles Rams.
Taylor took 29 snaps against the Rams, all at left guard. And while he earned a respectable 65.8 mark in eight run-blocking snaps, he recorded an absolutely dreadful 0.9 grade on 21 pass-blocking attempts. Yes, you read that right. He was also hit with a pair of penalties.
Okay, so PFF grades don't always tell the whole story. But anyone who watched either of those two games will tell you that, for the most part, Taylor simply didn't pass the eye test. Whether he performs better at his natural position at the professional level remains to be seen, but Bolts fans will likely get a look this Saturday night in the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers.