In their first game since the loss of Joe Alt for the rest of the regular season, the Chargers struggled in pass protection. Justin Herbert was sacked five times on 18 pressures. His time to throw vs. Pittsburgh was 2.25 seconds. That was one of the five lowest times to throw by a quarterback this season.
RG Mekhi Becton (5) and LT Austin Deculus (4) accounted for half of the pressures allowed in PFF's charting. While the reality at right guard is that the Chargers simply have to hope Becton can find his 2024 Philadelphia form, they have options at tackle. Deculus, Jamaree Salyer, Trey Pipkins, a healthy Bobby Hart, and the newly acquired Trevor Penning could all have arguments for either tackle spot.
Jim Harbaugh might've just confirmed Trevor Penning will start for the Chargers
Previously, when talking about the right tackle spot/competition between Hart and Pipkins, Harbaugh alluded to the best and healthiest players starting along the offensive line.
Considering the fact that they gave up some draft capital for Penning at the deadline, it feels like he's going to have to start at some point. Starting in the first week he got to Los Angeles in a trade was something the coaching staff seemed to believe he wasn't ready for.
At media availability on Wednesday, Harbaugh was asked for his thoughts on Deculus' performance specifically. He said that Zion Johnson and Bradley Bozeman graded out the highest in the win while Deculus, Becton, and Pipkins all "played the game they had to play".
Harbaugh was then asked how Penning has settled in so far in his short time with the Chargers:
"Phenomenal," Harbaugh claimed. "He did a phenomenal job settling in, getting up to speed. He's a smart football player. If I compared it to anybody, the first name that jumps into my mind is Bobby Hart. They both came in and got up to speed real quick."
Harbaugh said that Penning will "concentrate" mostly on the left side this week after getting work at both tackle spots in practices before the Steelers game. That would infer that he's probably a more likely threat to take Deculus' starting spot than anything on the right side of the line.
Deculus has allowed 26 pressures and 4 sacks in six games this season for the Chargers. Out of the five players who started along the offensive line last week (Deculus, Johnson, Bozeman, Becton, Pipkins), he has the lowest pass blocking efficiency in 2025 at 92.8.
Penning played right tackle last year, but has NFL experience on the left side from 2022 and 2023. On 234 pass blocking snaps in 2023, Penning allowed 19 pressures and 4 sacks with a 95.1 PBE.
At some point, the Chargers will want to see if they can revive Penning's NFL career at tackle. But we'll see whether or not that ends up being this week against the Jaguars.