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NFL Insider Taps the Brakes on Concerns About Chargers' Offensive Line
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- NFL Insider Taps the Brakes on Concerns About Chargers' Offensive Line
One of the big concerns surrounding the Los Angeles Chargers right now is their offensive line. Outside of starting offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, the rest of their offensive line is iffy, particularly the center and left guard spots.
Tyler Biadasz, a center whom they signed in free agency this offseason, was supposed to help. But he suffered a season-ending ACL injury a couple of weeks ago, and that development threw head coach Jim Harbaugh's plans into confusion.
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But ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano isn't feeling the same doom and gloom about L.A.'s offensive line. In fact, in a recent article , he reassured Bolts fans that things could turn out to be OK in that category.
Graziano: Don't be surprised if the Chargers' offensive line "is just fine"
Graziano mentioned potential surprises for each NFL team, and for the Chargers, his potential surprise is that their offensive line could be adequate this season.
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"Yes, losing starting center Tyler Biadasz to a preseason knee injury is a tough blow," Graziano wrote. "… However, they also drafted four offensive linemen, and second-rounder Jake Slaughter looks capable of handling the starting center job. He had been competing for one of the starting guard spots, so that now is likely to go to Kayode Awosika, who has had a strong camp as well.
"The loss of the starting center on a team whose most recent season was done in by season-ending injuries to its starting tackles was the last thing anyone around the Chargers wanted to see happen. But they believe they're better fortified against such issues this season due to their depth, and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's blocking schemes do a lot to mitigate protection issues as well."
Slaughter, a second-round draft pick in April out of the University of Florida, played well during the preseason. In fact, he received a 75.5 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) for the preseason, which ranked fifth among all rookie centers.
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If Slaughter holds down the center spot in solid fashion, it would go a long way in proving Graziano's point.
But the left guard spot is a different story. Awosika got a 52.5 pass-blocking grade, a 60.5 run-blocking grade and a 57.9 overall grade from PFF last season, and his grades in those areas weren't any better in his four previous seasons.
Harbaugh said days ago that he could platoon Awosika and Trey Pipkins III at left guard. Pipkins has been a swing tackle for Los Angeles in the past, and he started 10 games last year when Alt and Slater missed large stretches of action due to injury.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
