AUGUST 8: Harbaugh confirmed (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) that Alt will replace Slater on the blind side with Pipkins taking over at right tackle. The Chargers are also planning to work out some offensive linemen this weekend to find another swing tackle. They’ll also get a chance to evaluate Salyer, who is starting Sunday’s preseason game at left tackle, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
AUGUST 7: Rashawn Slater was carted off the field during Thursday’s practice. Hours later, the worst-case scenario emerged. Testing on the Chargers’ franchise left tackle indicates he will not play in 2025.
Slater is feared to have suffered a torn patellar tendon, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. The team has since confirmed Slater suffered the tear. This is a brutal blow for Slater and the Chargers, who indicated the Pro Bowl tackle is heading to IR.
This also represents incredible timing for Slater regarding his extension. The Pro Bowl blocker established the new AAV standard for offensive linemen ($28.5MM), agreeing to terms before training camp. The Chargers paid Slater after he had solidified their LT position, a job that had seen turnover between King Dunlap‘s tenure and the Tom Telesco regime drafting Slater in the 2021 first round. Slater will still be expected to live up to the contract, but that effort is now delayed.
The Bolts gave Slater a four-year, $114MM extension that came with $56MM guaranteed at signing. Among left tackles, only Andrew Thomas — on a five-year Giants deal — bettered the at-signing figure. Slater managed to beat out tackles with better rookie-contract resumes, benefiting by the Chargers waiting until his fifth NFL offseason to pay him. Now, major questions emerge regarding the Bolts’ 2025 O-line.
Joe Alt played left tackle at Notre Dame; the Chargers moved the 2024 No. 5 overall pick to the right side due to Slater’s presence. After another full offseason of RT training, Alt sliding to the blind side would be a gamble for the Bolts. But that would be an option due to his dominance there with the Fighting Irish. The Chargers also moved Trey Pipkins from right tackle to guard to accommodate Alt’s 2024 arrival. Pipkins had re-signed to play right tackle. Jim Harbaugh announced earlier this week a starting five that did not included Pipkins. This could be a way back for the supplanted blocker, as ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim indicates an Alt-at-LT, Pipkins-to-RT plan is the most likely outcome following the Slater news.
Harbaugh said (via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper) the Chargers had decided on a Slater-Zion Johnson–Bradley Bozeman–Mekhi Becton-Alt front five. Slater, Becton and Alt were entrenched starters, while Johnson and Bozeman entered camp with positional uncertainty. Pipkins (56 career starts, most coming at right tackle) gives the Chargers options most teams do not have when they lose a player of Slater’s caliber. Alt moving over makes more sense, as Pipkins has not played more than 77 LT snaps in a season since his rookie year.
A 2019 third-round pick, Pipkins worked as the Bolts’ full-time RT starter from 2022-23. The Chargers passed on Malik Nabers at No. 5 last year to install Alt at RT, kicking Pipkins inside. The transition was not exactly successful, as Becton has since booted Pipkins from the starting lineup. Pro Football Focus graded Pipkins outside the top 60 at guard last season; the advanced metrics site did not grade him higher than 50th during his time as the Chargers’ top RT.
Teams certainly never have great options when losing a Slater-like presence. Alt was a two-time All-American left tackle at Notre Dame, honors that propelled him into the top five of last year’s draft. The three-year, $21.75MM deal Pipkins signed in 2023 — Telesco’s final offseason in charge — could represent a lifeline for both the Chargers and the contract-year blocker. Pipkins, 29, is also not the only possible contingency plan here.
Slater had bounced back from a three-game 2022, when he was shut down because of a biceps tendon tear. The Northwestern product played in 32 games over the past two seasons, missing one in 2024 due to a pectoral injury. The 2022 season also revealed another potential Bolts option, as Jamaree Salyer replaced Slater at left tackle.
A 2022 sixth-round pick out of Georgia, Salyer slid to guard in 2023 but was unable to keep a first-string job following the Alt move last year. Salyer worked as the Bulldogs’ starting left tackle from 2020-21. While Salyer made only four starts last season, he joins Pipkins as possible contingency plans for a Chargers team that has devoted considerable resources to its O-line.
Unfortunately, the team’s top piece is out of the picture. PFF graded Slater as the NFL’s second-best tackle last season. The standout missed offseason time while angling for a new deal, and the fifth-year tackle going down soon after signing it stands to significantly affect a Bolts team that doubled down at running back — via the Najee Harris signing and Omarion Hampton first-round investment — this offseason.
This Chargers offseason brought depth up front. Pipkins and Salyer join four-year Raiders center starter Andre James in representing the Bolts’ newfound depth. It would stand to reason the Chargers will call on Pipkins or Salyer to move into the lineup following this injury, and it will be interesting to see if Alt indeed makes the switch back to his college role for this season.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Yikes. Terrible.
Their seasons over already
Speedrunning David Bahktiari’s career it appears. Hope Rashawn Slater can make a full recovery and have better injury luck…
Oof
Yes
Hahaha well played sir
Some of these franchises really are cursed. The Chargers are one of them.
Chargers, Bills, Vikings, Browns. I’m sure all of them will have some curse this season in some fashion.
Man the chargers can’t catch a break
The crippling black cloud of negative Spanos karma will always doom this team. Ship trust fund fool Dean Spanos and his clan back to Stockton.
They tried, Stockton wouldn’t take them.
Glad he got his money first.
Yeah, at least there’s that. Great player, but the Bolts at least have Alt that they can try this year. There will probably be plenty of growing pains, and if it doesn’t work, Salyer or another vet will have to play left. I think that Alt is probably the best fill-in, but I also would hate giving up the idea of my great RT for a mediocre replacement.
All things considered, though, LT is a more premium position, even in a run heavy offense, so I expect L.A. to give that a try before slotting in a replacement. Still, it’s going to be a quick turnaround. Replacing a player like Slater isn’t an everyday task.
Feel like Patellars are the worse, they kill careers in all the sports more than Achilles.
Davin Joseph was never the same for Bucs.
Andre Roberson career basically ended in NBA, he had no offense and was great on defense.
As a Chargers fan this sucks, but also a bit of chickens coming home to roost for a lack of preparation and sticking with subpar OL options than fixing the position group, as of now Becton and Alt are reliable. Zion or Bozeman likely could hold up one spot, but underperformed relative to league average last season. I’d say with the cap space the Chargers have they’re going to have to make a trade, but it may take until the deadline for starter-level players to shake loose.
@coldgolden. Im guessing salyer is the LT. Well atleast it didn’t happen the first game of season, now people have plenty of time to get snaps.
Real short turnaround makes Ssluer the likelier replacement, but Alt has the higher ceiling. Given that Slater has a contract making him a long term player, Salyer appears to be the more likely backup to start, but his production versus Alt’s makes me think that they might actually switch them. It might not happen immediately, but if things don’t go according to plan, I could definitely see it happening. Perhaps after a few games, if so, especially if Herbert (who already will be passing at a lower clip than his early days) doesn’t stay upright.
@ak185. Salyer has played left tackle. Roman said he didn’t play last year, because he wasn’t in game shape. They said he lost about 40 pounds and looks good.
Yeah, I know. I said that they could switch Alt if they didn’t like Salyer’s product. I don’t think that they would do it unless Herbert doesn’t stay upright. Slater is one of the best in the league when healthy, so it’s a good drop off in all likelihood to a backup. Salyer wasn’t very good in 2023, a little better in 2024, and I don’t know if he’ll be up or down as a replacement this year. But we’ll see.
I have no clue why my phone butchered his name in the first line, though. My apologies on that.
@ak185. they’re saying it’s alt at LT, and pipkins at RT. Yuck. I guess they are going with a position battle at LG. Between zion and salyer
Yeah, Pipkins isn’t any good either. Salyer’s frustrating because his rookie year was actually pretty good. The Chargers were looking good on their bookends with Slater and Alt, so this stinks for their tackle situation.
Sign Tyron Smith …
The timing couldn’t be better for his extension.. he probably would’ve gotten it anyway but still. Tough break for everyone involved.
Ink ain’t even dry.
Slater was already in the conversation for best Charger offensive lineman of recent memory, if not all time. He’s been as good as everyone said he would be.
Got his money and got hurt a week later lol.
This is why NFL contracts will never be fully guaranteed.
So who out there still cant understand why Cook, Parsons and Hendrickson are holding-in?