Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh announced on Saturday that LT Rashawn Slater would finally return to practice. Slater missed eight consecutive practices after having a knee flare-up on August 4th. Last week, concerns grew as the Northwestern product was uncertain to return to practice anytime soon.
But Chargers fans can exhale for now as Slater was officially back out there on the field. Harbaugh said that Slater would be a "limited participant" in practice. While there are no official practice designations at this point in the offseason, that likely means Slater will spend a few days in individuals and warmups before returning fully to team drills.
The Chargers (finally) receive some good offensive line news after C Tyler Biadasz's injury with Slater's return.
Rashawn Slater is back pic.twitter.com/aNHjUp874G
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 22, 2026
The news of Slater's return comes after what was a dark week for the Chargers along the offensive line. An ACL injury to Tyler Biadasz might've ended his season during the joint practice with the 49ers on Tuesday. As Jake Slaughter gets acclimated into his new starting role, the team simply needs to have both of their top tackles out there. Hopefully from here on out, Slater is lucky enough to avoid some of the flare-ups he had been experiencing coming off of his repaired patellar tendon.
The Chargers played their starters without Slater and Biadasz for one full drive vs. the 49ers on Thursday. Harbaugh had previously said the goal was to play the starters for two full drives in next week's preseason finale vs. the Rams. We'll see whether Slater will do enough in practice this week to be able to play in that game. But it would be a nice step forward for Slater if the Chargers are confident enough health-wise for him to play two full drives.
Whether he plays in the preseason or not, Slater returning to practice now should quell some of the Week 1 availability concerns. But as he continues to recover and rehab his left patellar tendon, the Chargers will likely need to manage him carefully. A few weeks ago, Harbaugh had said that Slater went from being able to go two reps in a row at practice to three. Now that he's returned, that ramp up will need to be continued as much as it safely can be. There shouldn't be doubts about Slater's current conditioning per se, but he's still getting to the point where he can play in a full NFL game.
It would be nice to see Slater out there against the Rams on Thursday in the event that the coaching staff feels it's safe.
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