The Los Angeles Chargers' offensive line, first and foremost, simply cannot perform at a high level as long as both Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater are missing from the equation.
Even though the interior of the line was improved marginally this offseason through free agency and the Draft—at least after Tyler Biadasz's season-ending inury took away Los Angeles' starting center—the general thought was that the returns of Alt and Slater to the fold, at the very least, raised the floor of Los Angeles' protection. In a sense, it did,. But sub-par interior play held the Chargers back from truly gaining any momentum on the offensive side of the ball over the first few weeks of the season.
Last week, though, things hit rock bottom. The Chargers lost both Slater and Alt to ankle and neck injuries, respectfully, while also losing Trevor Penning to a concussion in Week 4. With both Kayode Awosika and Trey Pipkins III already out, that meant Los Angeles was down both starting tackles as well as their first, second, and third-string left guard. They wound up starting four rookies along the offensive line to face off against the Denver Broncos.
That's the situation the Chargers were left in, and given the limited tools they had to work with, things went alright—at least in spurts. But this portion of the season should be about maximizing the on-field product with the tools Los Angeles has at its disposal.
With Branson Taylor seemingly having recovered from his upper-body injury and UDFA Jacob Spomer still waiting in the wings, Los Angeles needs to seriously consider swapping one or both into the starting O-line for Sunday's matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Branson Taylor and Jacob Spomer provide the Chargers with some much-needed O-line flexibility heading into Week 6
Again, it's not as though Taylor or Spomer is going to suddenly resurrect the Chargers' protection. Until Alt and Slater return, this unit is going to be near the bottom of the league in terms of viability against both the run and the pass.
But last week Los Angeles was ultimately forced to start a trio of Day 3 rookies along their offensive line. Travis Burke, who was drafted in the fourth round, took on left tackle duties, while Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey, who were drafted in the sixth round, took on left guard and right tackle duties, respectively.
Burke allowed three pressures and one sack on 35 pass-blocking reps, and he looked especially overpowered by the Broncos' quicker pass rushers. Logan Taylor, who allowed the strip sack that ended the Chargers' comeback attempt in Week 4, allowed three pressures. Harkey, who was seeing his first NFL snaps, allowed two pressures and was largely ineffective in the run game.
Spomer was available last week, and there was a chance the Chargers started him at center and moved Jake Slaughter to left guard. Spomer was one of the league's most productive centers in the preseason, allowing zero pressures on 78 pass-blocking snaps across three games. The injury to Biadasz allowed him to make the 53-man roster, and Los Angeles has that option in their back pocket if they need it. Spomer played 11 snaps there in Week 4 when the injuries to the offensive line first broke down the unit.
Now that Taylor is off the injury list, moreover, he presents a measured amount of upside at both the guard and tackle positions. The coaching staff raved about the transformation he underwent this offseason in terms of his athleticism and physicality, and there's a chance he would've been an important depth piece for the O-line from the start of the campaign if he hadn't been injured. He's nominally a guard, but he has experience at both left and right tackle as well from his time in college.
If the Chargers don't feel that either Logan Taylor or Alex Harkey is their best bet at their respective positions, swapping one or both of Branson Taylor and Spomer could be a viable bet. It's also worth noting that, while Kayode Awosika didn't practice yesterday, he wasn't placed on the injured reserve—which means we could see a return from him sooner rather than later.
It's certainly not an admirable position to be in. But the Chargers need to make the best of what they have, and that could certainly involve a gamble on either of their current depth pieces.
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