Los Angeles Chargers left deal with Rashawn Slater was carted off the sphere with an obvious leg harm throughout Thursday’s follow, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
It’s unclear what the severity of the harm is, but when critical, it is a main blow for the Chargers, with the season opener a month away.
Slater recently signed a four-year, $114 million contract extension, which incorporates $92 million assured, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL historical past.
Offensive line play is monumental to any staff’s success, however particularly for the Chargers. Head coach Jim Harbaugh values profitable the line-of-scrimmage battle on either side of the ball.
When many draft consultants referred to as for Los Angeles to take Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers with the fifth-overall decide within the 2024 NFL Draft, Harbaugh and the Chargers’ entrance workplace chosen offensive deal with Joe Alt.
The choice cemented Los Angeles with probably the greatest offensive deal with tandems within the league. Regardless of having stellar play from each deal with positions, Justin Herbert was sacked 40 occasions in 2024. That stat is extra carefully tied to the inside of the offensive line, which is anticipated to be a query mark heading into the 2025 season.
If Slater suffered a big harm that might stop him from taking part in for a protracted interval, how would the Chargers fill the void at left deal with?
The plain reply to this hypothetical state of affairs is to slip Alt over to the left facet of the road. The Notre Dame product began 13 video games at left deal with throughout his collegiate profession. The transition on the NFL stage will not be as clean initially. Nonetheless, the truth that Alt has expertise in that division supplies hope for the Chargers that the safety won’t deteriorate dramatically.
Nonetheless, Slater’s long-term absence might derail Los Angeles’s 2025 season and stop them from reaching the playoffs in a powerful AFC West.
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