Jake Slaughter may have quietly seized control of Chargers' left guard competition

The Los Angeles Chargers have been through the motions with their competition for starting left guard in training camp, and that's brought about some surprising developments.

While the initial battle was clearly lined up between Jake Slaughter, Kayode Awosika, and Trevor Penning, both Trey Pipkins III and Branson Taylor took first-team reps at the position over the first two weeks of camp. While Slaughter primarily took second-team center and left guard reps, it seemed as though the rest of the competition was taking shape around him.

From a certain perspective, this makes perfect sense. Slaughter didn't play a single snap at guard during his time in college, and Los Angeles was likely looking to ease his transition to the position. But Slaughter was selected in the second round with the goal of making that switch almost immediately— even if he didn't ultimately win the battle for the starting job, the Chargers needed him to show some upside at the position before the final depth chart was set.

If any of the other competitors—like Awosika or Taylor— had shown out while Slaughter was still getting his feet wet, perhaps his path would've been blocked off. But with a strong showing in the Chargers' preseason opener, it seems as though Slaughter may now have taken control of the competition.

That's an exciting development for all of his supporters.

Jake Slaughter may now be in the lead in the Chargers' left guard competition

Slaughter's preseason performance was notable. Although he started the game at center, he quickly slid over to left guard— and we got our first real glimpses at what he looks like against live pressure. Needless to say, he rose to the moment.

He allowed just one pressure on 30 pass-blocking snaps, primarily matched up against fellow second-round selection Kayden McDonald and UDFA Dominic Bailey. There were times where he gave up ground to his man, but he never seemed to get outright beat— a refreshing display for those who grew used to the leakiness of the Chargers' interior protection last season.

He also displayed power and athleticism in the run game, working his way into the second level and disrupting the run fits of the Texans routinely during his time on the field.

Ahead of practice yesterday, head coach Jim Harbaugh spoke on the left guard competition, stating that he's "pleased with where it's going" and hinted at the fact that it could be resolved by the end of this week of training camp.

But the developments for Slaughter didn't stop against Houston. He also took the first reps at left guard yesterday in 11-on-11 drills, with Awosika cycling in after him.

It's not the first time Slaughter has seen left guard reps with the first-team offense. But pairing this development with his strong preseason showing and extended run of snaps against the Texans, it's hard not think that Slaughter has exponentially raised his stock over the past week.

If he's able to carry this momentum into the Chargers' second preseason matchup (on Aug. 20 against the San Francisco 49ers), he could easily have the job locked up by this time next week.

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