Disaster struck for the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday.
After making it through nearly three weeks of training camp with relatively minor injury concerns, a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers yielded three separate on-field injuries. Tyler Biadasz suffered an apparent knee injury and was carted off the field, while Quentin Johnston and Kyle Kennard both limped off with trainers before practice was over.
Johnston and Kennard appear to be fine. Biadasz does not.
Mike Garofolo of NFL Network described Biadasz's injury as "long term" early on Wednesday morning. Although we don't have a concrete update from the team yet on the specific injury, it's safe to assume that Jake Slaughter will enter the season as the team's starting center.
Mike Garafolo says Tyler Biadasz's injury will be a "long term absence" with "several ligaments injured". https://t.co/sRXsE3DOcZ
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) August 19, 2026
But the ripple effect extends even beyond that. The Chargers' offensive line decisions, after the numerous additions they made this offseason through the draft and free agency, were going to be tight when it came time to slim the roster down to 53 men. With the flexibility that Slaughter and Cole Strange provided between guard and center, there was a world where the Chargers chose not to carry a dedicated backup at the position.
Biadasz's injury obviously changes the picture. UDFA Jacob Spomer and former UDFA Josh Kaltenberger now potentially have a roster spot hanging right in front of their faces— and they have just under two weeks to prove they're worthy of the job.
Jacob Spomer and Josh Kaltenberger now have real shots at making the Chargers' 53-man roster
The Spomer-Kaltenberger battle has been a quiet one to keep an eye on for much of training camp. Spomer, who put up solid numbers last season at Fresno State and came to Los Angeles as a UDFA this offseason, took the bulk of the third-team center reps in practice behind Biadasz and Slaughter. But Kaltenberger was the third-string incumbent at the position, having spent last season on the practice squad.
Kaltenberger is bigger and has a better anchor than Spomer, but Spomer likely has the type of athleticism and power that Mike McDaniel prefers in his blocking scheme. Both players appeared during the Chargers' preseason opener against the Houston Texans, with Spomer seeing 52 total snaps and Kaltenberger seeing 16 (albeit at left guard).
If Los Angeles were to dedicate a roster spot to a true backup center, it seemed like Spomer had the lead in the competition. But the Chargers, before the Biadasz injury, had 14 offensive linemen competing for what would likely be only nine or 10 roster spots.
The projected starters—plus Slaughter, Kayode Awosika, Branson Taylor, and Trey Pipkins III—were all likely roster locks. That left, at most, two spots to be distributed between Trevor Penning, Spomer, Kaltenberger, and the Chargers' pair of sixth-round selections Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey.
If Biadasz is out for the season, that obviously opens up a roster spot.
Perhaps the Chargers look to sign a veteran lineman to provide some additional depth behind Slaughter. James Daniels could be an option giving his experience with McDaniel, but the lingering injury concerns there could scare the Chargers off. The same goes for older pieces like Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler.
Expect both Spomer and Kaltenberger to see some extended reps at center when Slaughter isn't in the game on Thursday against San Francisco.
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