As we all witnessed in 2025, the Chargers' offensive line was absolutely abysmal. Injuries happen, I get it. But no one planned for both starting tackles to be done for the year by Week 9. I don't think anyone thought Joe Hortiz would be calling offensive linemen who were sitting on the couch to come play right tackle — ahem, Bobby Hart. Pair that with an awful offensive line coach in Mike Devlin and an offensive coordinator who could never adapt to the new NFL, and you get an offensive line ranked at the bottom of the barrel. If it wasn't for the hero ball from Herbert and the defense bailing out this team, last year's record could have looked very different.
However, this year already feels different when it comes to the offensive line. Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt look great in OTAs so far. Slater is ahead of schedule in his rehab from a patellar tendon injury, and Alt is fully recovered from the ankle injuries he suffered last season. Before free agency even began, the Chargers signed a top-10 center in Tyler Biadasz — a massive upgrade over what we witnessed the past few seasons with Bradley Bozeman. They also went out and added a free agent well-versed in Mike McDaniel's offense in Cole Strange. The left guard position, however, is still in limbo. With the first-team reps so far, free agent signing Kayode Awosika has been the guy at left guard. The Chargers also went all-in on the offensive line in the draft, selecting four offensive linemen — the most since 1991. Even with all of that said, there is one piece we are all overlooking when it comes to building a top-10 offensive line in the NFL. And that piece is Butch Barry.
Butch Barry came over from Miami with Mike McDaniel and has had an immediate impact on this offensive line. Based on comments from Slater and Alt last week, these guys are being coached to play physical and violent. They've had to change the way they play — in a Mike McDaniel offense, you have to get up the field. Barry took to the podium during Week 3 of OTAs, and just listening to him speak, you can hear the intensity and focus in his voice. He even spoke to the energy within the group, saying, "Energy is really high and it's a lot of fun. And that's how I like to conduct myself, so I really enjoy it a lot." There is life in an offensive line unit that was ranked nearly dead last in the NFL last season. It's also worth noting that Awosika touched on the mindset of "conviction over perfection" during his comments — and that philosophy fits perfectly in a Mike McDaniel scheme. This offensive line doesn't need to be perfect. After all, they have a top-5 quarterback in Justin Herbert, a loaded backfield, and a young wide receiver corps ready to prove themselves.
This offensive line has the potential to be a top-10 unit in the NFL. Yes, the players matter — we saw what happened last year when the unit was depleted. But coaching matters too. As Chargers fans, we have seen firsthand what bad coaching does. Already, though, this unit feels poised for a breakout year, and the key piece is Butch Barry.
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