trey pipkins – Syndication Server

Bleacher Report names Chargers’ 3 most likely cap casualties this offseason

It’s a huge offseason ahead for the Chargers, and that includes some decisions within its own roster.

We are at that point of the year when the offseason rumor mill gets fired up. The Chargers have a huge few months ahead of them to try and improve this roster to become legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

The front office will have some big decisions to make within the roster. With that, we will debate whether the Chargers should cut ties with the following players, all potential cap casualties Bleacher Report identified.

EDGE Joey Bosa

This is a controversial one. Bosa has established himself as one of the best Chargers defenders of all time. He’s made four Pro Bowls, yet the last of those appearances came back in 2021. He’s looked like a shell of his old self for three seasons now, and he’s combined to play just 28 games. Bosa combined for just 14 sacks in that timeframe, which is not worth the hefty $135 million contract he signed back in 2020.

In 14 appearances this season, the veteran had just five sacks, 13 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles. At this point, it may be best for the Chargers to move on from him. Khalil Mack is a free agent on the other side, so that’s something to keep in mind. Losing both Mack and Bosa would be detrimental to this pass rush, but regardless, edge rusher is a huge long-term need for this team at this point.

RB Gus Edwards

Edwards’ first season in Los Angeles was disappointing. After a career-best 2023 campaign, he struggled to earn much of a role. Even when J.K. Dobbins fell with an injury, Edwards failed to step up. It was the worst season of his career in rushing yards (365) and yards per carry (3.6). It feels like a no-brainer to move on from him this offseason, which would save the Chargers $3.1 million. Running back remains a massive need for this team, but Edwards doesn’t have much of a future in Los Angeles.

OL Trey Pipkins

The Chargers have done a solid job fortifying their offensive line through the draft. Center and right guard remain the biggest weaknesses amongst the unit, the latter in which Pipkins resides. The Chargers would save $6.8 million by cutting, and quite frankly, he’s just not worth much of a contract at this point. Pipkins was inconsistent throughout this season, and the team could easily find his replacement for a much cheaper price through the draft or free agency. Amongst 135 qualifying offensive guards, Pipkins ranked 86th with a 57.8 overall grade in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

ESPN makes ‘big prediction’ for the Chargers’ offseason

Right guard was a major weakness for the Chargers this past season, which could lead them to pursue the position heavily in free agency.

The Chargers have some holes that need to be addressed this offseason, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Throughout the 2024 campaign, the interior portion of the offensive line proved to be the group’s weakness.

Center Bradley Bozeman and right guard Trey Pipkins were the two weak spots along the offensive line. Both of their futures in Los Angeles remain unclear, as Pipkins could become a cap casualty.

In fact, that seems likely to happen as he doesn’t seem to be worth the money that he is being paid. Regardless, offensive line remains a position of need for Los Angeles, whether it be in the draft or free agency.

In a recent article, ESPN’s Ben Solak boldly predicts that the Chargers would make a splash at right guard this offseason. Solak thinks the team will land a big-name free agent at the position.

“They will pursue a potential long-term starter at guard with a strong run-blocking background. Will Hernandez, Mekhi Becton, and Aaron Banks all make sense as free agent targets.”

Amongst the listed names, Becton is perhaps the most intriguing one. Originally drafted 11th overall to be an offensive tackle, he made the transition to guard this past season with the Eagles. The former New York Jet did quite well, as Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 21st best guard with a 75.2 overall grade.

Becton is particularly effective in the run game, as Solak mentioned, an aspect of offense that we know Jim Harbaugh loves. None of those three names are considered elite at their position, but they would all be upgrades over Pipkins.

It may take a slight overpay, but it would be worth it to upgrade this offensive line once again. It would also help improve the team’s run game, which was inconsistent for the duration of the 2024 season.

Chargers inactives: See who’s in and who’s out for Week 17 vs. Patriots

The Chargers will be without Denzel Perryman on Saturday.

The Chargers are about 90 minutes away from kicking off Week 17 against the Patriots.

Here is a look at their inactive players today:

QB Easton Stick (emergency 3rd QB)

RB Gus Edwards

LB Denzel Perryman

OL Jordan McFadden

OL Trey Pipkins III

TE Hayden Hurst

DL Justin Eboigbe

RB J.K. Dobbins was activated from injured reserve on Saturday and will play today.

Chargers Week 17 injury report: 3 players ruled out

The Los Angeles Chargers released their final injury report ahead of the matchup against the New England Patriots.

The Chargers had their final practice today ahead their matchup on Saturday against the Patriots.

Running back Gus Edwards (ankle), linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) and offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III (hip) have been ruled out for Sunday.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said Edwards reaggravated his ankle injury from last week’s game against the Broncos.

Perryman also reaggravated his groin injury last week.

Running back J.K. Dobbins (knee), who was designated to return from injured reserve, is questionable. Harbaugh said Dobbins had a good week of practice.

Tight end Will Dissly (shoulder), tight end Hayden Hurst (illness) and safety Elijah Molden (knee) are questionable for Week 17.

Cornerback Cam Hart, who did not play last week against Denver due to a concussion, does not carry an injury designation and will play.

Chargers inactives: See who’s in and who’s out for Week 12 vs. Ravens

Find out if Khalil Mack will play on Monday night.

The Chargers are about 90 minutes away from kicking off Week 12 against the Ravens.

Here is a look at their inactive players today:

QB Easton Stick (emergency 3rd QB)

LB Denzel Perryman

WR DJ Chark

CB Cam Hart

RB Kimani Vidal

OL Brenden Jaimes

OL Jordan McFadden

Ladd McConkey, Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree are active tonight.

Chargers inactives: See who’s in and who’s out for Week 11 vs. Bengals

Find out if Khalil Mack will play on Sunday night.

The Chargers are about 90 minutes away from kicking off Week 11 against the Bengals.

Here is a look at their inactive players today:

WR DJ Chark

TE Hayden Hurst

RB Kimani Vidal

OL Brenden Jaimes

OL Jordan McFadden

QB Easton Stick (emergency 3rd)

Chargers players voice frustration over loss to Chiefs: ‘We had a chance to do something special’

Despite missing four of their best players and having a banged-up Justin Herbert, the Chargers looked like they were on their way to upset the Chiefs on Sunday. However, they came up short.

“We had a chance to do something special and weren’t able to hold onto the rope when it mattered the most,” Khalil Mack said, according to Eric Smith, per the team’s official website.

Asante Samuel, Jr. added: “We prepare throughout the offseason, not just for them, but we know we have to beat them to get to where we’re going. It’s definitely frustrating.”

Los Angeles has lost 11 straight home games to Kansas City.

To beat the Chiefs, you have to be able to limit Patrick Mahomes, which the Chargers did, holding him to 17 points or fewer for just the 11th time in his 99 career NFL starts.

But as we know by now, the best defense is offense against Kansas City. Los Angeles could not get anything going on that side of the ball. They scored 10 points off a pair of Chiefs turnovers, but that was it.

The Chargers, who have had a lot of success running the football, finished with only 55 yards rushing and averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

It was evident that Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt were out. The offensive line struggled to protect Justin Herbert. Herbert was sacked twice and pressured on 12 of his dropbacks. Penalties were costly, too. Los Angeles went three-and-out on four of its eight possessions in the final three quarters.

“The game was within our control and we made a lot of self-inflicted wounds to cause us to not win the game,” Trey Pipkins said.

When you play the Chiefs, people aren’t going to remember what happened during the game but the outcome of it. Coming close to beating them is not anything to be proud of.

“There’s a lot of football we can be proud of. But that doesn’t matter,” Mack said. “There’s no moral victories, especially for me. I’m looking to dominate [people] on Sundays.”

Chargers offensive depth chart projection ahead of training camp

Our very early prediction for who will make the Chargers’ 53-man roster on the offensive side of the ball

The Chargers begin training camp in a few weeks to prepare for the start of the 2024 season under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

There, roster spots will be won and lost at The Bolt, the team’s brand new training facility in El Segundo, CA.

That said, here is my very early prediction for who will make the 53-man roster on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback (2): Justin Herbert, Easton Stick

Misses the cut: Max Duggan, Casey Bauman

Running back (4): Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Kimani Vidal, Ben Mason (FB)

Misses the cut: Isaiah Spiller, Elijah Dotson, Jaret Patterson

Wide receiver (6): Josh Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark, Derius Davis, Brenden Rice

Misses the cut: Cornelius Johnson, Simi Fehoko, Jaelen Gill, Leon Johnson, Jaylen Johnson, Praise Olatoke

Tight end (3): Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham Jr.

Misses the cut: Stone Smartt, Zach Heins, Luke Benson

Offensive line (9): Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Trey Pipkins, Joe Alt, Brenden Jaimes, Jamaree Salyer, Jordan McFadden, Alex Leatherwood

Misses the cut: Foster Sarell, Karsen Barnhart, Brent Liang, Willis Patrick, Tyler McLellan, Bucky Williams

Projecting the Chargers’ offensive line depth chart in 2024

Taking a crack at projecting what the Los Angeles Chargers offensive line room will look like entering the 2024 season.

Over the next few weeks ahead of training camp, I will continue to break down the depth chart for each Chargers position.

Next, I project what the offensive line room will look like heading into the 2024 season.

LT: Rashawn Slater

After missing most of the 2022 season with a torn biceps, Slater returned and started all regular-season games in 2023. Upon returning to the field, he was prolific in the pass-blocking department, allowing just three sacks and 38 pressures on 726 pass-block snaps. Along with continuing to be a dominant force at protecting Justin Herbert’s blindside, it’s imperative that he returns to form as a run blocker, something he was sharp at in his first season when he was named Second-Team All-Pro, especially as the offense will take a run-heavy approach.

LG: Zion Johnson

Selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, Johnson has yet to live up to his billing. This was even after he transitioned from right guard to left guard, the position he flourished in college. Johnson has the tools to be a dominant interior offensive lineman, so it’s a matter of whether it can materialize with the new coaching.

C: Bradley Bozeman

With Corey Linsley headed toward retirement due to medical issues, the Chargers needed a starting center, so they sought Bozeman to fill that void. With the Bolts emphasizing the running game, Bozeman’s strength is paving the way on the ground. His 71.6 run-blocking grade since 2021 is 11th among all Centers over that period.

RG: Trey Pipkins

After starting at right tackle the past two seasons, Pipkins is kicking inside to guard following the selection of Joe Alt with the No. 5 overall pick in April’s draft. Even though he is likely to be named the starter, Pipkins will have to compete with the starter at the position from this past season, Jamaree Salyer. Pipkins offers the size, length, athleticism and football IQ, but will the transition to the interior be smooth for him?

RT: Joe Alt

Alt was selected with the No. 5 overall pick. Despite never playing the right tackle position, he is a polished and physical lineman with great size/length, overall technique, and strength. Alt’s services will benefit Justin Herbert, who has been one of the most pressured quarterbacks since entering the league in 2020. He will also improve the ground game by being used in different blocking concepts.

Jamaree Salyer

Brenden Jaimes

Jordan McFadden

Alex Leatherwood

I have Leatherwood beating out Foster Sarell. Leatherwood played right tackle with the second team during mandatory minicamp and offers versatility as a tackle or guard.

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.”