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The Los Angeles Chargers' biggest concern heading into the offseason was the offensive line, well, for me anyway.
After Justin Herbert was blasted to the tune of 54 sacks, the offensive line needed upgrading. Yes, part of that will come from the returns of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, but also the draft class, and in particular, Jake Slaughter.
A center in college, and a damn good one, given the Chargers' need for a guard, the thought is that Slaughter will shift over to be a plug-and-play starter for Mike McDaniel.
And for CBS Sports' Carter Bahns, he noticed that exact thing happening at Chargers rookie minicamp.
“Positional flexibility explains why the Chargers used a second-round pick on a center after signing Tyler Biadasz to a three-year deal earlier this spring,” Bahns wrote. “Slaughter was among college football's most highly respected centers in the final years of his Florida career, but made it clear he would move to a new role if the team needed him to.
"There is no greater deficiency on the Los Angeles roster than that at guard, so Slaughter will slide over one spot to get onto the field right away.”
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Have Chargers done enough to protect Herbert?
That will be in the eye of the beholder. But if we look at it on face value, you can say yes.
The returns of Alt and Slater are huge, plus the addition of Tyler Biadsz, a three-time Pro Bowler, and Slaughter at guard. That means four of the starting five linemen from the last game of 2025 will be different...and better.
So, that's a start.
The biggest issue is health. Can Alt and Slater play a full season or close enough to it? And if they can't, is the depth good enough to cover?
That is what the Chargers will be hoping to find out over the course of training camp.
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