LA Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed several key injury updates at his Tuesday media availability. After some concern about the knee of left tackle Rashawn Slater following Sunday’s late scratch, Harbaugh put some fears to rest.
Harbaugh said Slater would practice on Tuesday, seemingly putting the left tackle in position to start against the Texans.
All signs point to Rashawn Slater playing in Chargers-Texans
As the team prepares to go against Houston’s stacked defensive line with both Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, having Slater is absolutely imperative for a Chargers’ win.
While the pieced-together version of the offensive line minus the Northwestern product was sustainable against the Raiders, the reshuffling simply wouldn’t have been optimal for playoff play.
Harbaugh provided a few other updates. WR Josh Palmer (heel) is not expected to practice on Tuesday. Barring a setback, RBs Gus Edwards (ankle) and J.K. Dobbins are expected to practice.
The Chargers also officially opened up the 21-day return to practice window for wide receiver Simi Fehoko. Fehoko had been on injured reserve since an elbow injury in the teams’ victory over Cleveland.
Assuming he is activated before the teams’ game with Houston, Fehoko will count as one of the two playoff IR activations for Los Angeles. Other players who could be activated later down the line from IR include WR Jalen Reagor, WR Brenden Rice, CB Asante Samuel Jr., CB Eli Apple, and S Marcus Maye.
Ultimately, the team is starting to get healthy at some key spots entering the postseason. The Chargers also bolstered their RB depth by signing veteran Ezekiel Elliott to the practice squad.
Harbaugh said on Tuesday that competitors are welcome in response to a question about bringing the longtime Cowboys’ back in. He also said that he has “some bruises” from competing against Elliott, referring to the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan.
Having Slater back is absolutely crucial for the team to have any chance of making a deep playoff run, starting with a matchup against the Houston Texans on Saturday at 4:30 PM ET.