The Los Angeles Chargers took a relatively big swing this offseason. They added Jake Slaughter in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft with hopes that he could immediately compete with Trevor Penning for the starting left guard spot.
Slaughter clearly has the profile Mike McDaniel seeks out for a guard in his offensive scheme. But Slaughter played zero college snaps at guard, and he likely has quite a ways to go before he can prove his starting abilities to the coaching staff.
The Chargers' gamble goes even beyond that, however. As far as current reporting has indicated, Los Angeles wasn't truly in on any of the premier guards in free agency. They let Zion Johnson walk to the Cleveland Browns, and players like Isaac Seumalo and David Edwards didn't really receive even a whiff of interest. They also declined to trade out of the first round when Olaivavega Ioane was selected, which might have given them a chance at Chase Bisontis in the Draft.
Instead, they've placed their hopes on Slaughter. The Chargers' OTAs, which begin on May 26, will represent his first real chance to prove they made the right decision.
Jake Slaughter needs to have a strong offseason to prove the Chargers' gamble correct
Slaughter, at the very least, has the pedigree at center to envision him as a future NFL-caliber starting lineman. Across 421 pass-blocking snaps in his final season at Florida, Slaughter allowed just four pressures and one sack, per Pro Football Focus. He likely has the strength, mobility, and solid technique to be effective in McDaniel's scheme.
But making a positional switch, especially as a rookie, is always a somewhat risky proposition. In this case, it's amplified by the fact that the Chargers have left themselves with Trevor Penning as their sole option at left guard if Slaughter doesn't take the spot.
That would be less than ideal.
Penning, who was a first-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2022, came to Los Angeles at the trade deadline last season. Between the Saints and the Chargers, he played a total of 358 snaps at left guard and 47 snaps at left tackle, allowing 26 total pressures and five sacks over the course of the season. Evidently, Harbaugh and company believe there's still some viable play left in Penning.
But to start the year with Penning on the field, after what the team went through with their interior protection last year, has the potential to be disastrous.
Yet Penning, for what it's worth, also has four seasons of NFL experience under his belt. If it's a true competition, Slaughter will need to outwork and out-perform him at every juncture between now and the end of camp in August.
If he can, he'll quickly be able to ease the concerns surrounding the Chargers' gamble, at least in the short-term.
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