The Los Angeles Chargers, after much speculation, ultimately carried 11 offensive linemen onto their initial 53-man roster.
Of course, though, things didn't take the shape we thought they would. The season-ending ACL injury that Tyler Biadasz suffered in joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers bumped Jake Slaughter over to the starting center spot and opened up a role for UDFA Jacob Spomer as the team's backup at the position. That's an injury that will weigh over Los Angeles for the entirety of the 2026 campaign.
But in a more short-term sense, the injury that Branson Taylor suffered in the Chargers' second preseason matchup has ramifications as well. Because Taylor went to the IR to start the season, a roster spot was opened up—one that presumably went to sixth-round rookie Alex Harkey.
For now, Los Angeles has flexibility along their offensive line. Both Kayode Awosika and Trey Pipkins III are purportedly still in the mix for the starting left guard spot, and all three of Trevor Penning, Logan Taylor, and Harkey are capable of taking snaps at guard if needed.
But as ironic as it feels, this team's depth on the interior isn't complete until Branson Taylor is back in the fold. The Chargers need him, therefore, to return to the roster as quickly as possible.
Branson Taylor was shaping up to be a key depth piece for the Chargers prior to his injury
The competition for the starting left guard spot has been the Chargers' most intriguing storyline of the offseason. Almost as soon as Slaughter seemed to claim the lead over Awosika and Pipkins, the Biadasz injury took him out of the battle entirely. Taylor was presumably still in the mix as well before his upper-body injury sidelined him for the remainder of training camp.
Would Taylor have had a real chance to prevail over Awosika or Pipkins? That's a question we likely won't ever have the answer to.
But the coaching staff consistently expressed excitement at Taylor's offseason transformation. From the training camp and preseason reps we did get out of Taylor, it seemed as though his confidence as a pass protector and his athleticism on the interior of the line had grown exponentially since his rookie season—in which he played just a handful of snaps for the Chargers offense.
Taylor certainly isn't a proven quantity until we see him put up consistent play during the regular season. But the rest of the Chargers' depth at guard doesn't inspire much immediate confidence, either.
Pipkins did not look good during his extended reps on the right side in 2024, allowing 29 pressures and six sacks while posting a pass-blocking grade of 49.7, per Pro Football Focus. Trevor Penning almost immediately disqualified himself from the starting competition with his lingering injury and sub-par play in training camp. Logan Taylor took all but 25 of his preseason snaps at left or right tackle. Harkey, for his part, did not look remotely ready to take on consistent NFL snaps during his stints in the preseason.
As of now, Pipkins is almost certainly the first man up if there's an injury to either Awosika or Cole Strange. But the Chargers, at the very least, need the insurance of having Taylor on the roster before the season enters full stride.
Taylor won't be back until at least Week 5—which is the consequence of placing him on the IR. It's still unclear how severe his injury is, but Los Angeles needs to hope that his absence doesn't get extended beyond the minimum required games.
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