As the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive line continues to struggle, injuries to Rashawn Slater, Mekhi Becton and Joe Alt have severely hurt their chances of putting together a viable unit.
Yet, Bradley Bozeman, who has been healthy throughout the season, has put out some of the worst center play in the entire NFL, and, with offensive coordinator Greg Roman's recent comments, Chargers fans should be infuriated at the coaching staff's desire to stand by the struggling lineman.
While Los Angeles, as a result of their reluctance to stay active on the free agent market, have very little offensive line depth in the first place, Bozeman's continued struggles could leave the team desperate for a change.
Greg Roman's defense of Bradley Bozeman is laughably ignorant of his play
Bozeman, who has spent the last two seasons in Los Angeles after beginning his career with the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers, has largely been a bottom-tier center throughout his time with the Chargers. Going into the season, PFF ranked him as just the 27th-best center in the league, and his play this season has dropped him even further in their ongoing ranking system.
Yet, Roman has continued to defend Bozeman's play, even after he's allowed 10 pressures in just four games:
OC Greg Roman said #Chargers C Bradley Bozeman is "playing pretty good" and will continue to start: "Bradley is a veteran presence. He's a great leader. Makes all the calls for us. Understands the game plan like he wrote it up himself. And he's a tough, hard-nosed player."
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) October 2, 2025
In one sense, Roman does have a point. Bozeman has now played in the NFL for just over seven seasons, and his understanding of the offense and playcalling scheme are certainly valuable with so many young and inexperienced linemen stepping in.
Yet, at the same time, the team has another seven-year veteran on the bench in Andre James, and, although James has not necessarily been the most viable starter throughout his career, he does have extensive experience, most recently with the Las Vegas Raiders, in being that guy for a team.
While it remains to be seen whether replacing Bozeman with James would be the right move for now, it would be nice to see some semblance of honesty from the coaching staff in terms of where the offensive line's play so far this season has been.
Even without the injuries, they have been, frankly, bad, and Bozeman's struggles have been at the core of this unfortunate development.
Ultimately, this comes down to the team's refusal to bring in any extra depth for the line over the offseason, and they must now either live by their words or make adjustments quickly in order to salvage this unit for the team.