Tag: Chargers offensive line

Jim Harbaugh bullish on Chargers offensive line

The Chargers want to run the ball at a high level and it all starts up front in the trenches.

The Chargers have undergone quite the transformation, but when it comes to matters on the field, the offensive line is the unit that is amidst quite the redesign. 

Jim Harbaugh made it clear that he wanted the Bolts to be a physical football team. Once offensive coordinator Greg Roman came to Los Angeles, he also made it clear that the Chargers were going to be a team that could run the ball with gumption. 

Just a few weeks before training camp in July, the Chargers’ running game coordinator and tight ends coach echoed Harbaugh and Roman with his insight on the offensive line’s current status. 

“This is going to be an O-line-centric building,” Bischoff said. “When it comes to our strength program, it’s built around the O-line. Everybody else fall in line.

“Some people don’t value offensive linemen. We do,” Bischoff added. “That will be shown in how we approach everything — from how we stretch to how we lift, to how we run the ball, to how we protect. This is a place where O-linemen are going to want to come and play because it’s an O-line-centric space.”

The Chargers stuck to their guns and drafted the best offensive tackle available in Joe Alt in April. The Bolts also added veteran center Bradley Bozeman in free agency.

It’s clear the Bolts mean business and are looking for a more versatile offense this season. 

From left to right, Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Bozeman, Trey Pipkins III and Alt have made up the starting squad. 

“Not having a weak link is critical,” Harbaugh said. “I think we’re trending to really having a top-to-bottom outstanding offensive line.”

There have been a few position changes including Alt moving to right tackle and Pipkins switching to guard. 

“Whether it’s guard, whether it’s tackle, you can rely on him to be whatever we need him to be,” Justin Herbert said of his teammate Pipkins. “He’s done such a great job with that, especially in the weight room.

“His commitment, his leadership, the guy he is in the locker room, we’re glad to have guys like him on the team,” Herbert added.

The Chargers coaches have certainly built high hopes for this year’s offensive line. They are crucial to the offense’s functionality, and it’s common knowledge that any winning team in the NFL can run the ball well. 

“I can’t speak highly enough of how those guys are working,” Roman said. “You can start to visualize some things you can do with those guys.

“They’re very versatile, very good athletes, they pull well, they can come off the ball and knock people back,” Roman added. “They can go reach people. We’re really excited about that group.”

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh reveals starting offensive line ahead of minicamp

The Chargers’ offensive line is already beginning to take shape.

The Chargers offensive line has been a topic of conversation since the end of last season. Now, as the 2024 season approaches, five players are cementing their spots as the starting linemen. 

“I think it’s on track to be a top-tier offensive line in the NFL,” Harbaugh said. “Rashawn [Slater], Zion [Johnson], Bradley Bozeman, probably right now Trey Pipkins and Joe Alt. Those five have really separated themselves.”

According to Harbaugh, this group will likely make up one of the best units in the league. 

In team drills, Alt has been playing right tackle, and Pipkins has been positioned at right guard, which is quite impressive since he has only played tackle throughout his career. 

“Extremely capable of doing it,” Harbaugh said about Pipkins. “He’s an outstanding player, he’s an outstanding tackle and he’s an outstanding guard.”

Pipkins’ versatility seems to be paying dividends for the Chargers offensive line; however, the ultimate test will be when the season begins. 

“The idea of getting to our best five at all times and playing that, it may shake out in what the rotation is but you need five really good ones, five best you have, playing as one,” Harbaugh said. “Pretty much every team we play, they have really good edge rushers on both sides.

“They have interior rushers that are good on both sides. Not having a weak link is critical,” Harbaugh said. “I think we’re trending to really having a top-to-bottom outstanding offensive line.”

Training camp will ultimately be when the final starters are chosen but this gives Chargers fans at least a good idea of what’s to come. 

Chargers sign former first-round pick Alex Leatherwood

The Chargers added to the offensive line with the signing of Alex Leatherwood.

The Chargers have signed former 2021 Raiders first-round selection Alex Leatherwood to the roster. In Leatherwood, the Chargers are getting an offensive lineman who has started games at both tackle and guard.

Leatherwood played his most recent regular season snaps in 2022 with the Bears at right tackle and left guard. In 2023, he was a member of the Browns’ practice squad. He was not signed to a futures reserve deal in January.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh once offered Leatherwood at Michigan when he took a visit in 2016. The promise of his prospect nature as a first-rounder and college profile certainly could be at play here. Aside from any potential projection down the road, the Chargers have asserted that they’re building through the trenches. So depth is still needed at any spot. Another body at tackle may mean the team is committed to seeing a potential Trey Pipkins-guard experiment play out if it ends up that way.

In his last full season as a starter, Leatherwood committed 14 penalties, allowed eight sacks, and gave up 65 pressures. The Raiders tried transitioning him to guard before fully moving on in the 2022 season.

The former highly touted Alabama prospect’s career has been tumultuous. Clearly, the Chargers believe he can still contribute in 2024.

Projecting the Chargers’ offensive line depth chart in 2023

Projecting the nine players to make up the offensive line room to open the 2023 season.

Over the next couple of weeks leading up to training camp, I will be breaking down the depth chart for each Chargers position.

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Next up, I project what the offensive line room will look like heading into the 2023 season.

Kellen Moore says left side of offensive line will be a strength for Chargers in 2023

Kellen Moore was particularly bullish on the left side of the Chargers’ offensive line.

The Chargers are on the rise at their organized team activities, and one thing that has drawn attention is the offensive line, particularly the left side.

In an interview after practice on Wednesday, a reporter asked about the strength of his front five, and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore wasted no time in telling the media about the unit’s potential.

I think we’re building this left side that is going to have some tremendous strength behind it. Those guys’ ability to use strengths — the right side, as well — to kind of solidify these positions, to get these guys working together. I think that’s one of the biggest things with offensive line is that it’s five guys that have to be in sync. The more those guys spend time together, I think, is critical. We’re really excited about the way it’s laying out.

Star left tackle Rashawn Slater is back after missing nearly the entire 2022 season with a torn biceps.

“I love it. I’m so excited to be back,” Slater said. “I feel like we’ve all — it’s a young group, but now we had last year, especially with Zion and Jamaree.”

Slater had a dominant rookie season en route to being named to the Pro Bowl and earning Second-Team All-Pro honors.

After playing next to Matt Feiler in his first season, Slater will play next to second-year Zion Johnson, who is making the switch from right guard to left guard.

Johnson, the 2022 first-round pick, experienced some growing pains but he still flashed dominance, especially as a run blocker.

With the guys up front, the Chargers’ coaching staff won’t be content with anything short of excellence from the team’s offensive line in 2023. And if Moore’s comments are any indication, fans should be optimistic about this group’s trajectory.

PFF projects Chargers breakout player for 2023 season

PFF went through all 32 teams and named a breakout candidate from each one.

Every season, there are players who break out onto the scene who may not have been dominant the season before, whether they had limited snaps, dealt with an injury, or just improved as a player in the offseason.

Pro Football Focus’ Zoltan Buday went through all 32 teams and named a breakout candidate from each one. For the Chargers, Buday pegged second-year guard Zion Johnson as his.

Johnson is another second-year player who struggled a bit early in his rookie season, but he showed plenty of promising signs as the season went on to make Chargers fans excited about a potential leap in Year 2. Even though he ranked just 39th in PFF grade among guards on the season, his 70.8 grade over the last seven weeks of the regular season was good for 12th best at his position. Also, his 73.5 run-blocking grade over that span ranked fifth among guards.

Selected No. 17 overall out of Boston College in the 2022 NFL draft, Johnson was thrown into the fire in his first season, filling in as the team’s starting right guard from the get-go.

He appeared in every game, playing 100% of the offensive snaps, except for Week 11 against the Raiders when he came off the field for 11% of the snaps due to a shoulder issue that he experienced.

Johnson experienced rookie growing pains, particularly in pass protection, as he was tasked to go up against elite competition. However, he was steadily strong as a run blocker alongside Trey Pipkins.

Johnson is expected to move from right to left guard, the spot he played in college, where he will play next to the young and talented tackle Rashawn Slater, which should only benefit his play.

Chargers’ Jamaree Salyer explains difference in approach between guard and tackle positions

Jamaree Salyer talked about the different approaches that are necessary to excel at the guard and tackle positions.

The Chargers need their offensive line to come through in a big way for them in the 2023 season, and Jamaree Salyer is poised to play a key role for the unit after taking on a starting spot as a rookie last year.

Originally drafted as a guard, Salyer played tackle in 2022 following an injury to Rashawn Slater, who held down the left side of Los Angeles’ line early in the season. Now slated to move back to guard in 2023, Salyer talked about the difference in approach between the two positions.

“Tackle, it calls for more explosion, as far as with your feet,” He explained. “Guard, I feel like, is more quick twitch. Things happen a lot faster on the inside than they do on the outside. Most of the time, as a tackle, you blocking, probably, the best pound-for-pound player on the field, he’s a good athlete, but you’re normally just blocking that person for like 70 percent of the game.

“At guard, there are twists, linebackers, nickels that come, safeties that show up on the inside, so you have to think a lot faster at guard, whereas at tackle, you have to play a lot faster, but it’s not as much thinking – most of the time, you’re just kind of out there playing the game.”

Clearly, his experience playing outside of his natural position last year gave Salyer valuable insight regarding the nuance of playing at the tackle position. He would be wise to leverage his newfound versatility moving forward, as his ability to fill in at multiple spots on Los Angeles’ front-five could prove to be a boon for the team if injuries play a role in their 2023 season.

Report: Chargers re-sign Will Clapp

The Chargers locked up their backup center.

The Chargers re-signed center Will Clapp on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Clapp was signed by Los Angeles last offseason after four seasons with the Saints. A seventh-round pick of the 2018 NFL draft out of LSU, Clapp appeared in 34 games, seven being starts.

Clapp started three games while Corey Linsley was out with a knee injury and a concussion. He was strong in pass protection, allowing just four pressures on 252 pass-blocking snaps.

With Clapp staying in the blue and gold, the Chargers have their backup center to Linsley locked up through the upcoming season.

Chargers’ 2022 season in review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ offensive line

The Chargers offensive line was in the bottom 10 of the NFL in sacks allowed this past season.

In their effort to keep quarterback Justin Herbert upright throughout the 2022 season, the Chargers offensive line struggled mightily, giving up the seventh-most sacks of any team in the NFL.

One of the primary factors to their struggles was not having left tackle Rashawn Slater, who missed 15 games due to a biceps injury he sustained in Week 3 against the Jaguars.

Slater’s replacement, rookie Jamaree Salyer, took over in Week 4 and remained there for the rest of the season, providing to be a viable pass protector to Herbert’s blindside.

There were more injuries, as center Corey Linsley and right tackle Trey Pipkins each missed three games. Pipkins showed signs of growth as a player, but there were moments when his sprained MCL hindered his play.

Left guard Matt Feiler proved to be a solid signing in 2021. But he regressed this past season significantly, allowing 38 pressures and five sacks.

Rookie Zion Johnson, who manned the starting right guard position, dealt with growing pains. While he was strong as a run blocker, Johnson had his fair share of struggles in pass protection, allowing 40 pressures and seven sacks.

When Pipkins missed time, Foster Sarell got the start at right tackle, and he did not show much to warrant the swing tackle job for the foreseeable future. Sarell allowed 18 pressures and two sacks on 186 pass-block snaps.

For once in a very long time, the Chargers won’t be in the market for starters along the offensive line, assuming that they re-sign Pipkins to remain as the starting right tackle. Feiler could be on the chopping block, but it’s presumed that Salyer is a candidate to be the starting left guard in 2023.

Nonetheless, Los Angeles still needs depth.

At center, Linsley’s backup from this season, Will Clapp, will be a free agent. Brenden Jaimes is the only backup guard. Also, bringing in competition for the swing tackle spot with Storm Norton and Sarell would be beneficial.

OC Kellen Moore speaks on Chargers’ offensive line

Kellen Moore oozed confidence when talking about his offensive line during his introductory press conference.

The Los Angeles Chargers have assembled a highly effective offensive line in recent seasons, and their new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore seemed almost giddy to work with his front five in comments made during his introductory press conference.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Moore made it clear to reporters that despite not having met with the offensive line group yet, he is well aware of the elite talent he has at his disposal.

“I’m still in the process of going through that,” Moore said when asked about his line. “I’m really excited. We haven’t had an offensive staff meeting yet to really dig into this stuff. Certainly, the investment has been huge. Having a guy like [C] Corey [Linsley] as the center — you guys certainly probably feel it, but some people I think don’t recognize the importance of a veteran center and a guy who really runs the show. Corey has been one of the best in the NFL for a number of years. That is really exciting.

“I think that helps the quarterback. It relieves some of the workload and the volume that a quarterback has to do pre-snap. Having a guy like Corey run the show has been great. Certainly, there has been a lot invested there from a youth standpoint. Tons of younger players have had an opportunity to play. I’m excited to just see those guys continue to develop. They’re young players. Their future is skyrocketing right now. I’m just really excited to work with those guys.”

Certainly, the benefit of having a capable offensive line to protect the Chargers’ franchise quarterback will prove to be a huge advantage to Moore in his first year in Los Angeles. Keeping Herbert upright and well-protected in the pocket should enable Moore to utilize aggressive play calls in his game plans and should help the Chargers become a force in the stacked AFC next season.