Chargers fans are all still reeling from yesterday’s news that Rashawn Slater, the Pro Bowl left tackle who has been Justin Herbertโs blind-side protector since 2021, is out for the year with a torn patellar tendon. An off-season full of hope has been turned into another what-if scenario. His absence won’t just be about talent, itโs the instability that comes with it. Slater has been the one constant in a unit thatโs been shuffled almost every year of Herbertโs career and his loss will be felt keenly no matter what the Chargers do from here.
I will preface this article by saying what should be extremely obvious; this team cannot hope to win double digit games with Trey Pipkins starting anywhere along the offensive line. We are entering into his seventh year as a Charger yet he has failed to fix his issues and whilst he would be a big enough body to keep Herbert upright for three seconds, the team would have to create game plan around his liability in the run game and provide him with help on third down.
The wasteland of summer free agents
If the Chargers were hoping for a quick fix on the open market, they will find themselves fresh out of luck. The current free agent pool is utterly barren, populated mostly by veterans on their last legs or players who have either struggled to stay healthy or havenโt played meaningful snaps in years. Anyone still unsigned in August is there for a reason, and plugging in a stopgap off the street would carry as much risk as reward. That reality shifts the focus squarely toward the trade market, where at least a handful of viable solutions could be pried loose for the right price.
To shuffle or not
Now the coaching staff and front office will have to decide: shift Joe Alt to left tackle immediately, or keep him where heโs been comfortable at right tackle and find help elsewhere. Alt was a three year starter at left tackle when he was at Notre Dame so if anything this would feel more like a return to his natural mechanics but this comes with other issues like splitting up his partnership with Mehki Becton which looked to create a strong right hand side to the line.
If the Chargers choose to keep Alt at right tackle, one scenario that our own Kyle DeDiminicantanio highlighted would be to move Mekhi Becton, their prize free agent addition, to left tackle. This is a bold ploy as it would be moving Becton back to a position he struggled at however it does unlock the trade market by expanding the search parameters to guards. I am not enamored with this pathway as it means reshuffling the entire line however it did get me thinking about a way to solve both the long and short term issues Slater’s injury presents and that led me to my first trade candidate.
Alijah Vera-Tucker, New York Jets
AVT is a player who would answer the Chargers’ issues in multiple ways due to his multi-positional experience and where he is in his career. For those who haven’t been familiar with his career path he was a standout tackle for USC before being draft in the first round as part of the the same draft class as Slater. Bonus nugget: Jim Harbaugh recruited him when he was coming out of high school. The former Trojan struggled to find a positional home early in his career after cross training between left guard and left tackle but he has since found a home at right guard.
Alijah had a career-best season in 2024, highlighted by a stingy 1.74 percent pressure rate allowed in pass protection and he was equally adept in the run game. Vera-Tucker would therefore give the Chargers a rare blend of youth, versatility, and proven production at a position of immediate need. At just 26, heโs logged over 1000 starts at both guard spots and even kicked out to tackle in emergencies, making him an asset for the long term rather than just an stop-gap player for the year.
Given his age, pedigree as a former first-round pick you’d normally expect a significant cost to acquire him. However a realistic cost projection would be something like a 2025 third-round pick plus a conditional late round pick. That reduced cost is because that price allows for both his short career peak and the fact that heโs entering the final year of his rookie contract and would therefore be looking for an extension. That is the type of situation that Joe Hortiz could manipulate into leverage at the negotiations table.
Andrew Wylie, Washington Commanders
If the team are more comfortable sliding Alt to the blind side, veterans like Andrew Wylie become logical targets. The former Kansas City Chief is currently playing right tackle however he has the flexibility to play either guard spot. This ability to play multiple positions make him a strong candidate for a veteran trade target as at 30 years old he still has some years ahead of him should he be a good fit on Mike Devlin’s line. Additionally there are reports that indicate he could be available for trade given that the Commanders have rookie Josh Conerly Jr. waiting in the wings and they made a big move for a star left tackle after their Cinderella run to the NFC Championship game in January.
The Commanders saw a chance to improve on a strength when they traded for Laremy Tunsil but that doesn’t take away from Wylie’s performance in 2024. He finished 10th amongst all starting tackles in PFF’s Pass Blocking Efficiency metric which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed. Although his performance last season would have inflated his value, I do not see any reason why he would cost more than a conditional Day 3 pick given that Washington have spent a whole host of picks to bring Tunsil on board so they would be looking for anything they can get in return.
Kelvin Beachum, Arizona Cardinals
Kelvin Beachum would be a sensible veteran option for the Chargers because he offers steady, low-penalty, low-pressure on the right side of the line; exactly what a reshuffled line needs. In 2024, Beachum allowed four sacks and committed only five penalties across 742 offensive snaps for the Cardinals, posting a pass-block win rate of 91.4 percent. Whilst those aren’t world beating numbers, they would absolutely be welcomed ahead of what Trey Pipkins can offer.
The Cardinals have two young ascending tackles ahead of him on the depth chart in Paris Johnson Jr and Jonah Williams, and their recent acquisition of Will Hernandez gives them further protection should they sell Beachum to the Bolts. I believe he should be available and given his slightly higher contract, Arizona shouldn’t ask for anything higher than a 5th round pick. At 35 years old, Kelvin is definitely not a long-term solution, but his durability (16 games played in each of the past three seasons) and reliability at the right tackle spot make him an ideal fill-in player who would let Joe Alt return to the left side he called home in college.
Cornelius Lucas, Cleveland Browns
Cornelius Lucas would be a logical target for the Chargers because he can step in immediately at left tackle without forcing a full-line reshuffle. With the Browns seemingly believing in Dawand Jones the former Washington Commander could be available at the end of camp should he lose the competition. The Chargers may not want to wait that long and they could beat the crowd with a low ball offer now.
In 2024 with the Commanders, Lucas posted a 79.1 PFF pass-blocking grade, allowing just one sacks and 12 pressures across 464 snaps. At 6-foot-8 with a decade of NFL experience, he has the length and poise to neutralize edge rushers in true pass sets while still holding up in the run game. With starts at both tackle spots over the past three seasons, he could gives the Chargers flexibility as to where they want to play Joe Alt. Lucas proved himself still worthy of a starting spot due to his pass protection last season and with Clevelandโs depth along the line, it might mean they are willing to work out a deal him for the right offer despite him never playing a snap for them.
Brady Christensen, Carolina Panthers
Brady Christensen presents a compelling option for the Chargers due to his unique position flexibility. In the 2024 season with the Carolina Panthers, Christensen played center, left tackle and the 6th offensive lineman in their jumbo sets. Brady was a starter until the 2023 season where he was replaced by a rookie however he has stuck around after proving to be a reliable back-up. The former BYU Cougar is more of a run blocker but at 6′ 6″ he has the length to hold up off the edge and didn’t allow a sack last season.
Conclusion
My preference is to always swing big and Alijah Vera-Tucker would be an excellent addition even when Rashawn is back healthy next season. However this is Joe Hortiz we are talking about here so my realistic expectations are more set between Andrew Wylie and Kelvin Beachum as two newly demoted veterans that were more than capable starters last season on teams that could run the ball successfully with them on the field.
None of these options are cheap in football terms, the draft capital isnโt too punishing but every trade eats into the Chargersโ flexibility, and there are other areas the Chargers should have been looking to add to like Outside Linebacker and Center. But with the AFC West as competitive as itโs ever been, standing pat after losing Slater could be the bigger gamble.
The next few days will reveal whether the front office are willing to pay the premium for stability, or if the Chargers will try to patch it together in-house. Either way, this decision will be the first true stress test for Joe Hortiz after a relatively healthy season in 2024 and whatever he decides to do will be a defining moment for the Chargersโ season.
Just watched the Falcon’s condensed pre-season game. Easton Stick looked really good (15-18, 149, 1 TD). Accurate, mobile, going through his reads. That showed me a few things:
I think the Chargers either trade one of the QBs or end up keeping both.
This from The Falcoholic:
Interested to see what happens to Cousins. He lives very close to us & golfs at our club. I have not met him, but several people I know said he’s gracious and generally a good dude. I thought the Falcons were going to trade him, but for that to happen, they would need to play him in the pre-season, which they didn’t. They’re also probably going to have to eat a good portion of that $180M contract they gave him last year ($75M dead cap this season).
My view is that we’ve seen Salyer play LT before and we know we should have a dominant right side with Becton/Alt so while I totally get that Alt is the superior LT of who is healthy, my biggest question is if Salyer is a far better LT than Pipkins is a RT?
Maybe Salyer has enough technique the play the LT side but he’d struggle more adjusting to RT.
Of Alt, Pipkins and Salyer we’ve seen Alt play RT at a high level and Salyer play LT at an average level, higher than Pipkins at RT. I understand the blind-side aspect but I also know that teams are just going move their top Edge rushers to target a weak Tackle so perhaps the wisest move could be letting Salyer stay at LT with a good game tomorrow.
I agree with this fully. I would much rather have an authoritative side of the line in the running game than bring Pipkins into a starting role again and drop the ceiling of the run blocking considerably in doing so.
If they were willing to flex Becton to RT and sign Scherff/Risner to shore up the IOL, I’d fine with moving Alt to LT. But pairing Pipkins next to Becton seems like a complete waste.
It only takes one lineman to miss their assignment or get blown up at the line to destroy a running play. Even if Becton is dominant, if Pipkins plays in the regular season like he did last week, our running game will be brutal.
I heard the Guilty As Charged guys talk about this today. They made some good points IMO:
In 2022, Salyer played LT and Pipkins played RT. The team gave Salyer more help and chose to leave Pipkins more often “on an island”, but Pipkins had a better pass blocking efficiency rating (97.1% to 96.1%) and allowed significantly fewer pressures (32 vs. 48). Salyer played 696 pass blocking snaps and Pipkins played 635, so that would contribute to more pressures, but not 50% more.In 2023, the Chargers coaching staff (different staff) chose Pipkins to play RT over Salyer. In 2024, the Chargers coaching staff (current staff) chose Pipkins to play RG over Salyer. So the past two coaching staffs thought Piplins was better.According to Steven (GAC), he believes the film shows that Pipkins has been better than Salyer.That’s a lot of evidence to support Pipkins over Salyer.
Beyond that, IMO it is a lock that the team is moving Alt to LT, so it probably isn’t worth spending a lot energy discussing other scenarios. The GAC guys pointed out that Alt has played LT at every opportunity when Slater was out and Alt was available since Alt was drafted, including camp, preseason, and regular season. That tells you what the coaching staff thinks, and I agree with them.
I fully agree that Pipkins is a better pass blocker – but the run blocking scares me for the identity this coaching staff wants to build.
I dont agree with the GaC guys using that year as a fair comparison between the two. Salyer was a rookie that spent all offseason working at guard as I remember, then got flexed to LT when injuries forced the team’s hand. He was a rookie, while Trey was in his 4th year.
We hoped that year was going to be a building block for Trey, but he still hasn’t shown the functional strength to be a solid run blocker. It was bizarre to most of us here that they were going to roll him out at RG, but I put a ton of blind faith in what’s been the best HC/GM combo we’ve had since the Marty/Smith days (or maybe Norv/Smith). While I still love the staff, I cant help but question rolling Trey out again on all levels. I’m fine with him as a true swing, but entering the season as a starter scares me.
I’m not on the “end of the hopes for the season” bandwagon, but its frustrating that they could build a significantly improved line with a free agent move or two, and we’re signing a journeyman tackle thats likely just a camp body.
Sorry, emotionally ranting at this point.
That’s true, but that is 2022 season is effectively what everyone advocating for Salyer is basing their opinions on.
You ignored the point that this appears to be the third straight season in which the coaching staff (and two different coaching staffs) chose Pipkins over Salyer. That seems very compelling to me.
That’s not necessarily correct… Salyer was drafted by Staley/TT to play guard, and in 2023 he started every game. I wouldn’t describe that as them choosing Pipkins over Salyer.
I’m totally confused about why he started over Salyer last year – or started at guard in general. It was enough of a disaster that it was the sole position on the offensive line that they sought an upgrade for… and now we’re talking about him starting again. It’s pretty brutal.
Salyer started 15 games at LT in 2022. He started 17 games at RG in 2023. He started 4 games at RG and 1 game at LT in 2024.
In 2022, the previous coaching staff chose to give much more help to Salyer than Pipkins. Makes sense, as he was a rookie, but it’s still true. Yet, Salyer allowed 50% more pressures.
In 2023, the previous coaching staff chose Pipkins at RT over Salyer, who played RG.
In 2024, the current coaching staff chose Pipkins at RG over Salyer, despite the fact that Salyer played RG in 2023.
None of this appears to provide rationale for starting Salyer over Pipkins at RT this season.
It seems obvious to me that two consecutive coaching staffs have valued Pipkins over Salyer. Are you really going to question that?
They drafted Salyer to play guard. They said as much when they drafted him. They gave him the starting right guard position in 2023. They absolutely didnt chose to play Pipkins over Salyer that year… he was starting next to him, at the position they drafted him to play.
Salyer isnt my first choice – Pipkins is just personally my last… of the options that are available/realistic.
Do I think that there’s evidence that maybe someone in the front office is influencing this decision? Absolutely. We thought Pipkins was TT’s guy… but I think there’s a chance he was John’s.
This is a bizarre discussion. I thought we were talking about the possibility of Salyer playing RT.
If so, I laid out all of the relevant info on that… which does not favor Salyer over Pipkins at RT.
IMO anyone who feels Salyer should start at RT over Pipkins is off base. Right or wrong, it seems rather clear that the Chargers coaching staff feels the same way.
I suppose we’ll see.
Interesting discussion. A few other points:
Looking at the roster as constructed, the Chargers need to add a player that can play on the outside. Likely not to start, but adding quality depth that can play in important games in November/December/January.
Depending on 3 players with extensive availability issues; Slater (who’s now missed 2 of his 5 seasons), Becton and Pipkins means you’re going to need depth that can play. Not prospects that you’re developing; you need player(s) that can play this year.
One other thought: Assuming Becton is not available, thoughts on this OL:
LT: Alt
LG: Johnson
C: James
RG: Bozeman
RT: Salyer
Swing: Pipkins
Hopefully Becton is available to start the season and plays 17+ games. However, planning for adversity is important. I hate the idea of rolling back Bozeman/Johnson. This puts James in the position to call protections, keeps Bozeman on the field (which this staff wants to do) and limits the wear/tear on Pipkins.
I’d be disappointed if we rolled with that Kev – only because our previous strength of OL depth (albeit low-ceiling IOL starters) is washed out in this scenario. I’m OK with the T situation if Salyer has truly made leaps and would be an improvement in the run game, but if Bozeman is starting at RG, I assume we haven’t on-boarded any or the starting-caliber G’s currently available. If Shaq Mason, Dalton Risner, or Scherff were signed and Bozeman and Johnson beat any of them out for starting gigs strictly off merit, I’d be fine, as we’d be back to a position where we have depth. But presently, I can’t fathom why they wouldn’t be bringing in some competition to this position group.
If “Competitors Welcome” is our mantra, I don’t want to see us replacing our best offensive lineman by reshuffling the chairs on the Titanic.
FWIW the GAC guys asserted that they are simply managing Becton’s workload, and, if there was a regular season game this week, he would play. I got the impression that was from their sources in the building.
I assume the starting line will be LT Alt, LG Zion, C Bozeman, RG Becton, RT Pipkins. If Alt or Becton miss non-trivial snaps, it’s going to be a big problem. Not so much for the other positions… Salyer can back up Zion and Pipkins, and James can back up Bozeman.
I know Kyle and many others have been hoping the Chargers would sign a startable veteran, but it doesn’t look like it. If they were going to do that, what are they waiting for?
https://www.si.com/nfl/chargers/chargers-sign-rashawn-slater-insurance-ties-general-manager
Sharpe is certainly a guy. This seems like more churning the bottom of the roster (and Iโm totally on board), but heโs not likely a difference in the starting rotation. And how Iโd love him to prove me wrong.
Branson Taylor was also down at practice, and Donte Jackson was limping for good measure. I know bodies take a toll in this sport, but dang if they donโt seem to be coming early and often.
https://www.si.com/nfl/chargers/chargers-injury-bug-huge-bite-haunting-practice
Great….Pipkins. What a crock of shit.
https://chargerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/chargers/2025/08/08/chargers-jim-harbaugh-tackle-joe-alt-trey-pipkins/85583669007/?utm_source=smg-chargerswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMGbaseline&utm_term=Content%20List%20-%20Stacking%20-%20optimized&utm_content=8872WS-E-ChargersWire
Buck – are we at the point with Pipkins that we should start assuming he was a John Spanos pick and not Telesco’s? How is his leash this long?
That’s a reasonable assumption, I’d say, though I’d also be really disappointed if Harbaugh is allowing anyone other than his coaching staff determine who starts.
This is presumably true, and obviously I think losing Slater will be negatively impactful, but IMO context matters a lot for this data.
Slater got hurt in game 3 and missed game 4, in addition to missing game 17.
I went into the season feeling great about our tackle depth, because I wouldn’t mind the above scenario playing out and Pipkins basically starting 3-4 games at tackle.
However – penciling him in as a starter, and praying he and Alt stay healthy all season makes me queezy.
They just did last season. Yes, they had Slater then, but now they have Becton, which helps somewhat.
They also upgraded passing game targets across the board and upgraded RBs, especially if Harris is able to get healthy.
I think they can win 10 games with their current roster. It will require some luck and avoiding other significant injuries. But it’s achievable.
I’m certain of one thing….I don’t want to see Pipkins starting anywhere on this team.
I’m less certain that we need to make a trade. Of course as a GM I’d explore options but not in panic mode.
This is more adversity than I was hoping for this early in the season. However, I believe this coaching staff/FO will not panic (unlike previous regimes). A few points to consider:
Nice assessment Kev. Not sure if you saw Poppers article about Salyer but heโs dropped 35 lbs presumably to slim up and be a faster more nimble guard. Showed some of this last weekend. Think his days of being a T are over.
Salyer’s strength has always been his footwork and power. His draft profile:
The highlight is mine. The question will be are the Chargers better off putting Salyer at RT for the season (like they did at LT with in 2022), where he was a dependable LT, with Pipkins continuing at swing, or are they better off making Pipkins the FT LT? Trey has been less durable than Jamaree, so it’s reasonable to assume that the Chargers are going to need a 3rd tackle that can play meaningful snaps on the roster. Is that going to be Jamaree, Becton, Branson Taylor, Karsen Barnhart or a new player?
I think the best thing for the team to do to maximize the players we have on the OL would be to play them where they are naturally or have become comfortable. Alt to LT and Pipkins to RT puts both players at positions they are comfortable at. When you have comfortability at a position you play faster and more instinctive. Let Salyer be your swing OG/OT to start. With Becton’s injury history, there’s a real chance Salyer will be in sooner than later anyway.
Unless they trade for a starting LT (and I am very skeptical of that), I think it is a virtual lock they move Alt to LT. They could move Becton out to RT if he is healthy (hasn’t been practicing) or they could let Pipkins and Salyer battle the rest of preseason for the job.
That’s likely my preference Tau. The free agent tackles are garbage, but I actually don’t see anything wrong with an offensive line of Alt – Zion/D Risner – Boze/James – B Scherff – M Becton.
Risner and Scherff would actually make me feel good about our interior pass protection.
AVT would be a hard pass for me. The guy has a 16 game and 15 game seasons bookending a 5 game season and a 7 game season. He is a huge injury risk. I know the panic flag is raised right now, but realistically nobody feels bad for us. Some teams haven’t even played a Preseason game yet, so nobody is thinking of trading away OL players now. In fact with the dearth of OL talent in the league, I think it is the most difficult position, outside of QB, to trade for. This must be dealt with and planned for internally with what we have on the roster for the remainder of camp. If a player becomes available around final cuts, then maybe something can be worked out. Especially since our season starts 2 days before everyone except Dallas and Philly, we have even less time to shuffle and prep the roster. There’s no easy way to slice it. This injury is almost a death blow to the season. If Alt ever went down at LT we are looking at an OL talent level we haven’t seen since the 2019 season where we started Trenton Scott and Sam Tevi at OT.
Agree with the point that trading, and more importantly, getting value in a trade, is going to be difficult this early in the pre-season. It may be that the team needs to find their best 5, practice with them in place, then look for a player to become available at the end of the season to add depth while they acclimate to the team. That’s probably the most practical path forward.
Very good article but Ryan, but on AVT, I just don’t think the Jets would contemplate trading him anyway. Glenn just arrived from the Lions where their OL was the team’s strength, and the Jets finally have pieced together an ascending OL. Can’t see them being interested in trading AVT for anything less than an astronomical offer (which I don’t think we’d make for a guy whose best ball has been at Guard).