Last season, no team in the NFL dealt with more injuries and instability along the offensive line than the Los Angeles Chargers. Injuries forced them to use 29 different offensive line combinations, one of the highest totals in the league, resulting in the second-worst pass-blocking grade in the NFL according to PFF.
Despite adding Mekhi Becton and seeing growth from their young linemen, Justin Herbert still finished third in pressure rate (43.3%), third in sacks taken (54), and first in total pressures absorbed.
Still, the Chargers were able to win 11 games and reach the playoffs. With new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel in the building and an active offseason, let’s break down the new look of the Chargers' offensive line.
Left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a torn patellar tendon during practice prior to the 2025 season, causing him to miss the entirety of last season. Slater has the most important job on the offensive line, protecting Herbert’s blindside, and he’s one of the best in the business at it.
In 2024, PFF ranked Slater second in all tackles with his 90.9 PFF overall grade. The Northwestern product was named an All-Pro in a rookie season and made two Pro Bowls, including 2024. Getting Slater back is arguably the biggest offseason addition the Chargers made.
With the 5th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Chargers selected offensive tackle Joe Alt. Alt was so good that some had him in conversation for winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, rare air for an offensive lineman, a testament to just how dominant he was as a rookie.
Alt started the 2026 season off strong, but an ankle injury in Week 4 forced him to miss the next three games. When he returned, he suffered another ankle injury, this one that led to season-ending surgery. Even with the time missed, Alt was named to his first-ever Pro Bowl, a sign of things to come. With Alt and Slater both healthy, they make up one of the best tackle duos in the league.
With the edge protection locked down when healthy, the front office moved to strengthening the interior of the unit.
The team's biggest free agent signing was center Tyler Biadasz, replacing Bradley Bozeman, who allowed the most pressure of any center and retired this offseason. Signed to a 3-year, $30 million contract, Biadasz started 31 games over the last two years for the Washington Commanders.
Only released due to cap issues, the 28-year-old has plenty of good years ahead of him and provided both experience and talent at a position of need.
The Chargers continued to buff up the interior of the offensive line by selecting Jake Slaughter in the second round. Slaughter was effectively a three-year starter at Florida, after getting the starting job due to injury four games into his sophomore campaign, and he never looked back, being named an All-American and first-team All-SEC in his final two years in college.
While Slaughter was primarily a center, starting every game for the Gators in 2024 and 2025 at that position, he will be making the shift to guard, a change that Slaughter is seemingly very open to and excited for the challenge.
"For me, it's always the difference in space," Slaughter said. "Spacing differences, footwork differences here and there. So it's a fun challenge."
While it will be a battle in training camp between Penning for the starting job, don't be surprised if Slaughter wins the job.
At right guard, another new face to the organization will start in Cole Strange, who signed a 2-year, $13 million deal. The former first-round pick hasn't quite lived up to expectations, now joining his third team in five seasons.
Strange was last on the Miami Dolphins, where he started the final 14 games of the season when he joined the team. He follows his former head coach at McDaniel. While he didn’t grade highly last season, his athleticism and familiarity with McDonald’s scheme will make him a solid starter, especially if he can improve his pass protection.
