Chargers' O-line suffers a brutal blow with concerning Rashawn Slater injury update

With their loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Chargers, for all intents and purposes, are eliminated from playoff contention. Only one team in the history of the NFL has made the postseason after starting 0-4, and this team hasn't shown nearly enough offensively to believe they're capable of that sort of turnaround.

And as the injuries keep piling up, it's hard to think that it can get any better from here.

The Chargers were already down Derwin James Jr., Dalvin Tomlinson, Charlie Kolar, David Njoku, Brenen Thompson, Trey Pipkins III, Denzel Perryman, and Kayode Awosika heading into the matchup on Sunday. By the end of the game, they lost Donte Jackson, Ladd McConkey, Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, and Trevor Penning as well.

They had no healthy linemen dressed by the end of the game that weren't currently on the field. This team's depth is already being strained, and they simply can't endure another disastrous blow on the offensive side of the ball.

But it seems like they're set to get exactly that when Slater undergoes MRIs for the ankle injury he suffered yesterday. Per Ian Rapoport, Slater is believe to have suffered a high ankle sprain—an injury that typically requires several weeks to heal.

Not only is that a majorly disappointing development for Slater, who overcame a torn patellar tendon to come back at full strength this season, but it may represent the final death blow to this offense as a whole.

The Chargers simply can't survive without both of their tackles playing at a high level

Again, it's hard to see how things can get worse from here. The Chargers scored more than 20 points for the first time this season in Week 4, but they're still the third-worst team in the NFL in EPA/play. The offense simply hasn't been able to find any consistent momentum either on the ground or through the air.

Both Slater and Alt, though, have been solid to this point in the season. Slater's allowed eight pressures on 152 pass-blocking snaps, but he's made strong effort of returning to his form from two seasons ago. Alt has struggled with penalties in the Chargers' new offensive system, but he's allowed just three pressures on 130 pass-blocking snaps through four weeks.

The interior of the offensive line, though, has not come close to meeting expectations. The left guard position has been in constant turmoil since Jake Slaughter was bumped over to the center spot. Penning is not a true option there, but the Chargers simply don't have anyone else—unless they want to move Slaughter there temporarily, leaving UDFA Jacob Spomer as the starting center. Cole Strange is having an abysmal season as well, and Slaughter hasn't even truly met expectations when he's been placed at the center spot.

Losing either tackle is about the worst thing that can happen to this Chargers offense, especially when we just saw even a brief spark of life from them in the second half against Seattle.

It will likely be rookie tackle Travis Burke taking the start in Slater's place. Burke was impressive during the preseason, and his range and physicality obviously endeared him to the coaching staff. But there are certainly still questions about his fundamentals and his overall soundness as a blocker against NFL-caliber pass rushers. We'll find out if he's up to the task next week against a lethal Denver Broncos defense.

We'll need to wait for confirmation on Slater's injury, and we'll also need further information on the neck injury that Alt suffered on Sunday. Still, this is far from a good sign for a Los Angeles team that desperately needed at least one fortunate break at this point in the seasn.

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