Chargers seem to avoid a major Rashawn Slater injury scare as training camp ramps up

As the Los Angeles Chargers prepare to enter 2026, there's quite a bit hinging on the health of their two star tackles.

Both Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater suffered season-ending injuries that derailed the Chargers' 2025 campaign. Slater suffered a torn patellar tendon in an offseason workout, and Los Angeles' ceiling was capped by that injury from the jump. Combined with the lack of viability amongst the interior of their offensive line, things went south pretty quickly after Alt went down in Week 9 with an ankle injury.

Even with Mike McDaniel having re-shaped the Chargers' interior protection this offseason, the ceiling of the offense will still be determined by the performances of Alt and Slater.

When Slater went to the sidelines after the first period of 11-on-11 drills today, there quite possibly could not have been a more frightening development. The re-injury risk with a torn patellar tendon is real, and Los Angeles simply cannot afford to lose Slater again this season.

Although Slater didn't return to drills for the remainder of practice, he was seen walking and talking with his teammates, and his participation in a team workout after practice makes his departure from drills seem firmly like a precautionary measure.

Needless to say, that's excellent news.

Chargers cannot afford to lose either Joe Alt or Rashawn Slater this season

For the record, both Justin Herbert and Kris Rhim at ESPN confirmed that Slater was fine, and there's been no reporting or comments indicating that the move was thought to be anything serious. Perhaps they simply wanted to keep tabs on how his knee was progressing now that the pads are on, or there was a slight tweak that caused them to hold him out of further drills.

But with the way the team is constructed around its two star tackles, any moment like this is always going to have fans holding their breaths.

Slater has now suffered two season-ending injuries in his five-year career, including a ruptured bicep tendon that limited him to just three games in 2022. The team has consistently maintained throughout the offseason that both players were likely to be a full-go for training camp and would be fully healthy to start the season.

If they want to elevate themselves into contention in 2026, they have no other real options.

Trey Pipkins III held his own at times as a swing tackle last season, filling in on both sides of the line when necessary. But he allowed 27 pressures and four sacks across 376 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He was also flagged for a penalty seven times in that span.

Neither Austin Deculus nor Bobby Hart provided any reprieve, either. Both are gone this season, replaced by fourth-round selection Travis Burke and trade deadline acquisition Trevor Penning. Burke certainly has upside as a rangy, strong tackle, but neither player can currently be trusted to provide even half of what Alt and Slater can at the position. In short, the Chargers don't have any room to accommodate another major injury to one of their tackles.

Thankfully, it looks like Slater's non-participation in practice was merely a precaution. We can breathe easy now, folks.

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