Chargers LT Rashawn Slater slips, but still cracks the Top 10 NFL OTs

As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler continues his yearly positional survey ranking, offensive tackle was the next position of the day. NFL personnel polled voted on their top 10 offensive tackles in the league. Chargers' star Rashawn Slater managed to crack the list at number nine, slipping one spot from eight entering last season.

The full list includes:

While the Chargers' offensive line had its fair share of miscues and poor protection moments in 2023, Slater continued to be one of the lone bright spots.

After missing most of 2022 following a torn bicep, the Northwestern product allowed just three sacks and 38 pressures on well over 1100 snaps. Slater had the fourth-highest PFF pass-blocking grade amongst offensive tackles with the qualified amount of snaps.

One AFC executive's quote from Fowler's article sums it up best: "He's just solid in every area -- good speed, not huge but adequate size, very intelligent, doesn't have many lapses."

2024 is the most important year of Rashawn Slater's career with the Chargers

Slater finds himself in an interesting position entering 2024 from a Chargers' perspective. He and left guard Zion Johnson are currently projected to be the only holdovers from last season's starting offensive line at the same respective positions.

Trey Pipkins, Joe Alt, and Bradley Bozeman will play to the right side of those two former first-round selections. Pipkins of course is likely to switch over to starting right guard this season.

A contract extension to reset the market could be on the way for Slater as well. Los Angeles picked up his fifth-year option this offseason, securing his services through at least the 2025 season. He became eligible for a new deal at the conclusion of last year.

2021 NFL Draft classmate Penei Sewell came in at number two on Fowler's rankings. Sewell agreed to a deal that made him the highest-paid offensive tackle in NFL history earlier this offseason. Sewell's four-year, $112 million ($85 million guaranteed) might represent the financial figures that Slater wants to get close to in negotiations.

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh called offensive linemen the "tip of the spear" after selecting Notre Dame's Joe Alt in the first round of this year's NFL Draft. Ideally, Slater should be a part of the teams' long-term plans of building a more physical, Harbaugh/Greg Roman-oriented team up front.

Hopefully, with a healthy season, he can find himself back into the top five consensus OT list in Fowler's poll next year.