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Can the Chargers Recover After Tyler Biadasz’s Injury?
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- Can the Chargers Recover After Tyler Biadasz’s Injury?
(Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
The Los Angeles Chargers just suffered another major blow to their offensive line, and this one is especially frustrating because it came before the season even started.
Tyler Biadasz suffered a serious left knee injury during the Chargers' joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday. The injury involved ACL damage and ultimately resulted in the Chargers placing Biadasz on season-ending injured reserve Sunday.
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Biadasz was supposed to be one of the biggest upgrades to this offensive line. The Chargers signed the veteran center to a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason after he spent the previous two seasons with Washington. He had been one of the more reliable centers in the league and was expected to bring some much-needed stability to the middle of the line.
Losing him is a big deal. There is no way around that.
However, the Chargers do have a plan in place.
That plan is Jake Slaughter.
The rookie second-round pick out of Florida was originally competing for the starting left guard job, but everything changed once Biadasz went down. Jim Harbaugh has already made it clear that Slaughter is now the team's starting center, and Harbaugh said he is very confident in the rookie .
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That doesn't mean replacing Biadasz will be easy. Slaughter has never played a regular-season NFL snap, and center is an extremely important position in an offense that is trying to get the most out of Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel's system.
But Slaughter has been getting valuable reps throughout training camp, and this is exactly why the Chargers invested a second-round pick in him. The hope was always that he could eventually become the team's long-term answer at center. Unfortunately, they may need that answer much sooner than expected.
The other important factor is what happens around him.
With Slaughter moving to center, the Chargers will need someone else to step up at left guard. Kayode Awosika currently appears to have the inside track , while other players will continue competing for the job.
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There is also some good news. Rashawn Slater returned to practice Saturday and participated on a limited basis. While he still isn't completely back, seeing him on the field is a major positive for an offensive line that desperately needs some stability.
The Chargers can't afford to have Biadasz's injury turn into another season where injuries completely derail the offensive line. They need Slaughter to grow quickly, they need the left guard competition to produce a reliable starter and they need Slater, Joe Alt and the rest of the unit to stay healthy.
It's a significant setback, but it doesn't have to ruin the season.
The Chargers have enough talent on offense to overcome losing one player. The question is whether the offensive line can come together quickly enough to keep Justin Herbert protected.
If Slaughter can prove he belongs, this could eventually become more of an unfortunate detour than a season-changing disaster.
