There's been some putrid LA Chargers offensive lines, but the 2025 version takes the cake. Riddled by injuries and offseason mismanagement, the Chargers have assembled an offensive line in front of Justin Herbert that resembles a turnstile much more than it does a brick wall.
Jim Harbaugh has tried everything to support Herbert, but his options are limited. It's gotten so bad that the Chargers' only swing at the trade deadline was for a player who fans wanted the team to avoid drafting at all costs back in 2022. Los Angeles traded a future sixth-round pick for Trevor Penning, who has lived up to the bust concerns.
The Penning experience went as well for the Chargers as it did for the Saints. Penning was legitimately woeful in his start against the Jacksonville Jaguars, forcing the Chargers to make a change mid-game.
That change will seemingly be permanent. When discussing tackle options for Week 13's game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Harbaugh very notably left Penning's name out of the equation. That's the textbook definition of a subtle benching.
Harbaugh on if he'll make changes to the OL: "10 starters. We've got the guys. All 10 have started at some point for us this season."
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) November 25, 2025
"The hope is to solidify it now for the rest of the regular season."
Jamaree Salyer, Trey Pipkins, and Bobby Hart "in the mix" at tackle.
Trevor Penning is not in the mix to start at tackle for the Chargers
Penning's time as a starting tackle for the Chargers lasted all of 47 snaps. Since he is a free agent after the year, the Chargers traded a future sixth-round pick for someone who may end up playing less than 50 snaps for the team.
That's two wasted sixth-round picks on offensive linemen in seven months. The Chargers also used a sixth-round pick on Branson Taylor, who was pretty awful in the preseason and got cut by the team. Taylor is at least still on the practice squad, but he's still not good enough to get a chance despite all the dysfunction on the offensive line.
As bad as this looks in the big picture, you can't blame the Chargers for taking this swing. Fans pounded the table for the Bolts to make a trade for weeks and they did. Yeah, it may not have worked out, but that's the nature of making a trade in the NFL.
And it's not like the Chargers could have done much better. Penning was the only offensive lineman traded at the deadline. Quality offensive linemen simply don't get traded midseason. This was always going to be a gamble for the Bolts.
Unfortunately, the gamble did not pan out as the Chargers are considering alternative options. It does raise the question, however: if Jamaree Salyer was always an option at tackle, why didn't the Chargers just experiment with him there first before trading draft capital?
I guess we'll never know.