The Los Angeles Chargers decided to overhaul their offensive line this offseason. That was almost certainly the right choice.
Their interior was one of the least stable in the league last season, and after bookend tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater went down, it was a carousel of backups that attempted to keep the protection intact. While Alt and Slater are back this season, virtually none of the players who took snaps on the interior in 2025 are.
Bradley Bozeman has retired. Austin Deculus and Andre James have found a new home with the Tennessee Titans. Zion Johnson signed a major contract with the Cleveland Browns. Mekhi Becton still remains on the market.
The future, frankly, doesn't seem that bright for any of these pieces (apart from Johnson, of course, at least in a fiscal sense).
But it seemed like Jamaree Salyer, who was selected by the Chargers in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, had found a fresh lifeline with the Miami Dolphins. Most of the Dolphins' position groups, including the offensive line, are wide open now that they've entered their organizational reset, and Salyer had a real chance to start at right guard.
He hasn't practiced since July 31 with an undisclosed injury, though, and it seems like his lifeline might already be slipping away.
Jamaree Salyer has a chance to revive his career in Miami— he simply needs to seize it
Salyer's tenure with the Chargers was actually somewhat promising for a sixth-round selection. He took over 1,100 snaps at right guard for Los Angeles in 2023, and he played significant snaps at all positions apart from center during his time here. Over four seasons with the Chargers, he allowed 115 pressures and 18 sacks on 1,871 pass-blocking snaps.
He entered the league as a bulky and strong protector, but he was never able to put things together fundamentally. His ceiling right now is likely as a fringe backup on any team with a deep offensive line.
The Dolphins aren't one of those teams. Most of their pieces, including their starters, are relatively unproven outside of center Aaron Brewer. At his lowest, Salyer would likely be their most reliable backup— with the versatility to play at both guard and tackle when needed. But if second-year guard Jonah Savaiinaea wasn't able to take major strides in training camp after a disappointing rookie campaign, Salyer had a real chance to displace him as a member of the starting unit.
For a player who signed a one-year deal with a cap hit of just over $1.2 million, that could be a career-reviving development.
According to Alain Popuart at Sports Illustrated, not only has Salyer been injured, but he's been absent from practice entirely. Players who suffer minor injuries in training camp usually work off to the side with trainers while they wait to get involved in team drills again. That hasn't been the case with Salyer, and little information has come out from the Dolphins' coaching staff.
If Salyer can return quickly, perhaps he has a chance to right his ship in the competition. But if he's ultimately destined for a backup role, it's hard to see how he can outplay his salary this season and carve out an even greater opportunity when he reaches free agency again.
Add us as a preferred source on Google