As the Los Angeles Chargers entered their Week 5 matchup against the Washington Commanders, both fans and the organization knew that fielding a viable offensive line was going to be a struggle given the high ankle sprain that left tackle Joe Alt suffered last week.
Yet, the Chargers had a decision to make that could potentially stop some of the bleeding in who they would elevate from the bench to take Alt's place, and, now that the game has played out against their favor, it is safe to say that they made the wrong one.
Deculus, who was acquired via trade from the Houston Texans as additional depth following the devastating training camp injury to starting left tackle Rashawn Slater, struggled mightily in his first full appearance for the team, and, in hindsight, it could be said that his struggles led somewhat directly to the Chargers' more global setbacks on offense in this matchup.
Chargers chose to start Austin Deculus, and it blew up right in their face
Throughout the course of this season, the offensive line has been a struggle of epic proportions for Los Angeles's coaching staff. All three of Slater, Alt and offseason signing Mekhi Becton have already missed time due to injuries, and the other starters, including Bradley Bozeman, Zion Johnson and Trey Pipkins III, have all struggled to keep a clean pocket for quarterback.
With Alt out, the team needed to decide this week between either Deculus or fourth-year tackle Jamaree Salyer to step into the role: a situation that already presented significant intrigue given its implications for Herbert's protection against a capable Commanders pass rush.
Yet, head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to keep their decision under wraps until game time, exacerbating the mystery even more:
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh says he knows the OL for Sunday, but won’t reveal it.
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) October 3, 2025
They “have thought about” moving Becton outside, but wouldn’t commit to it.
Harbaugh says Becton will have one step of concussion protocol still to clear.
Doesn’t know if Joe Alt will go on IR.
When game time came, however, the nod ultimately went to Deculus: a decision that proved to be a disastrous mistake.
The Chargers gave up five sacks on the day, and, while these resulted in part from failures of protection scheme entirely, Deculus gave up a number of pressures that forced Herbert to get the ball out sooner and ultimately held the team's offense back for the whole game.
While Herbert has shown a propensity to scramble more this year and an ability to grab big gains by doing so, the amount of pressure his offensive line have given him has been, frankly, unacceptable thus far.
While Salyer did eventually work his way into the game following Trey Pipkins III's brief exit due to a knee injury, Los Angeles needs almost anything to go in its favor in Week 5, and starting Salyer in the first place may have helped them even marginally.