Tag: trey pipkins

A strong offensive line is a priority for Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh talks about the importance of the offensive line.

Going into the 2024 season, a strong offensive line is crucial for Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. He believes the offensive line is directly related to the success of the entire offensive unit. 

“The offensive line to me is important,” Harbaugh said, per the team’s official website. “If I asked you the question like, ‘What position group depends on no other position group to be good, but every other position group depends on them to be good. What position group is that?’. Offensive line

“They’re not relying on any other position group to be good. They go out, yet every other position group relies on the offensive line to be good,” Harbaugh added.

The offensive line struggled last season, which led to several problems for quarterback Justin Herbert. Instead of helping him, the offensive line often became a burden. 

Several starters return from last season, including Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Jamaree Salyer, and Trey Pipkins III. The Chargers also acquired center Bradley Bozeman in free agency. 

Harbaugh believes the key for a strong offensive line is for the group to work together—as one. 

“I think they’re really good, I think they’re really willing and then just the mentality of that group, that’s like a fist, there’s five of them,” Harbaugh said. “There’s one, two, three, four, five, playing as one on that offensive line.

“Just can’t wait to get in the room, get in the weight room, get on the field and coach guys and be around them and build that group. Excited about that as well.”

Kellen Moore on Chargers offense: ‘A work in progress’

The Chargers offense has been uneven this season.

When Kellen Moore was hired, the thought was that he would take the Chargers offense to another level. The team is midway through the season, and it has yet to transpire completely.

Specifically, Los Angeles wanted to be more explosive in the passing game and run the ball more efficiently. However, there have not been a lot of shots down the field from Justin Herbert and the running game has been stagnant.

Moore’s offense has only scored two second-half touchdowns in the past five games. His unit ranks 26th in second-half offense.

“It’s a work in progress,” Moore said. “You go through ebbs and flows and you have a few guys go down, navigate some different roles and we would certainly love to play better. It’ll happen over time. We will get better.”

There are some factors in the offense’s inability to be at its full potential, starting with Herbert breaking the middle finger on his non-throwing left hand during the Week 4 game against the Raiders. Since then, he has worn a splint on it, which has hindered him to a certain extent.

Along the offensive line, Corey Linsley has been out with a heart issue. Will Clapp, Linsley’s replacement, has struggled. Herbert has been sacked five times in two of the past three games. Linsley’s absence has negatively impacted the group as a whole, and the consistent pressure has given Herbert little time to throw.

At wide receiver, the Chargers have been without Mike Williams, who suffered a torn ACL against the Vikings in Week 3. Joshua Palmer, who is on injured reserve with a sprained knee, will be out for at least the next three games. Quentin Johnston has shown flashes but has yet to play to his first-round billing.

Furthermore, they have lacked blocking production from the tight end position since the start of the season.

“We are where we are right now. I think that this group is still figuring it out together, but I like the group that we are coaching and I like the way this group’s competing,” Brandon Staley said.

As Los Angeles gets into the second half of the season, they need to quickly figure out the offense if they want to find themselves in the playoffs again.

Studs and duds from Chargers’ 27-6 win over the Jets

Let’s look back at the notable performers from the Chargers’ win over Jets.

The Chargers extended their winning streak to two with a dominant 27-6 win against the Jets at Met Life. Traveling to the East Coast is never easy and LA got it done against one of the tougher defenses in the league.

For the second time this season, the Bolts are back at .500 with a chance to get back into playoff contention.

Before diving into Week 10’s Lions matchup, let’s look back at the week’s notable performers.

Stud: EDGE Joey Bosa

It’s a night and day difference when Joey Bosa is healthy in the lineup. Bosa had just six pressures and one sack in the three games that he was dealing with a broken toe on the injury report. In the last two weeks that he’s been in the clear medically, Bosa has 11 pressures, four sacks, and nine stops in the backfield. He’s rushing the passer and stopping the run at a high level.

Bosa just looks a half second faster off of the line initially and is playing with notably more force in front of him. If he’s able to keep up this production with the development of Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack’s bounce-back season relative to last year, LA’s defensive front may be able to give some of the best offensive lines in the league some trouble.

Dud: RB Austin Ekeler

Since his return against the Cowboys in Week 6, Ekeler has yet to have a game where he averages more than 3.4 yards per carry. Against the Jets, he had one carry for 20 yards. The rest of his 13 opportunities went for 27 yards.

Uncharacteristically, Ekeler also had three drops on Monday. In his seven seasons with the Chargers, he had never had a game with more than two.

The offensive line situation hasn’t been optimal, but it’s clear at this point that the Ekeler of years past isn’t here right now. Whether it’s his previous ankle injury this season or just a lack of burst from hitting the running back wall, the running hasn’t been as precise or impactful.

Time will tell if Ekeler maintains his current usage or if the team will feel the need to bump up Joshua Kelley’s usage, but the clock is ticking.

Stud: S Alohi Gilman

Alohi Gilman received his second elite PFF grade of the season with a 90.8, leading the Chargers’ defense in teams’ weekly scores. Gilman forced a fumble, returned a fumble recovery and had a pass breakup. On pace to play the most coverage snaps of his career, Gilman has given up just seven completions.

He has a clear nose for the football in being around turnovers and lays hits hard. While Gilman’s presence in previous seasons had seemed more incidental to the Chargers’ success, he’s been the engine of the secondary when it has been at its’ most potent and aggressive this year.

In a contract year, Gilman is balling when it matters.

Dud: TE Gerald Everett

Coming back from a hip injury certainly isn’t easy, but Gerald Everett has largely had a side role in the Chargers’ offense this year. After six straight seasons of increasing receiving production from the vet, Everett is on pace for his lowest yardage total since 2020. Week 2 against the Titans was the only game in which he produced more than 30 receiving yards this season.

The lack of pass-catching productivity from the Bolts’ receiving room is particularly felt at a time when the team is missing Joshua Palmer and Mike Williams. Everett also fumbled despite the Chargers’ recovering the ball. He’s had two fumbles on the season after having zero last season.

Stud: WR Keenan Allen

The Vikings game will likely remain Keenan Allen’s best of the season from a production standpoint throughout the year, but there’s an argument for his game against the Jets being high up on a list of his best performances.

Eight receptions on 77 yards may not seem that impressive on the box score but consider the circumstances. Absolutely no one else on the Chargers’ offense was able to produce consistently on Monday night. Four of Allen’s eight catches came against the elite Jets’ secondary trio of Sauce Gardner, Michael Carter II, and D.J. Reed.

It was Allen’s second-highest PFF offensive grade of the season. The route running prowess, the big-time catches to extend drives when the Chargers had to have them, and the insanity of the spinning around near the sideline catch…it’s hard to believe it’s year 11 for Slayer.

Dud: The offensive line

One step forward last week, two big steps back this week. After the Chargers allowed just eight pressures on Justin Herbert last week, the offensive line allowed 22 against the Jets.

Rashawn Slater and Trey Pipkins combined to allow 15 pressures, 3 QB hits and a sack. The days weren’t much better for Will Clapp, Zion Johnson and Jamaree Salyer.

In fairness to the Chargers, the Jets’ defensive front is an absolute struggle to play with the amount of pressure they’re able to get on three and four-man rush looks. But it would’ve been nice to see some progression for the Chargers after the Bears game. Instead, the line looked just as overwhelmed as it did against Kansas City and Dallas.

From Slater’s ankle injury to the absence of Corey Linsley, the Chargers have a lot of confounding factors for why the offensive line performance has been poor. But they’re running out of time to figure it out.

Chargers offensive snap count leaders at the bye week

Taking a look at the Chargers’ offensive players who have seen the field the most.

With four games played and the Chargers on bye week, I figured it’d be a good time to take a look at which players are going to benefit the most from this time to rest and recover before entering the final stretch of the season.

With that said, here’s a glance at the Bolts’ top-10 offensive snap leaders after four weeks.

Projecting Chargers’ offensive depth chart for Week 1 vs. Dolphins

Here’s how we project the Chargers depth chart to look for the start of the regular season.

The Chargers are just days away from their season opener against the Dolphins

The positions are set after finalizing their 53-man roster, but the team has yet to release the official depth chart.

So let’s dive into how the offensive side of the ball could shape up heading into the 2023 season, highlighting who is likely to start and serve as depth pieces behind them.

Quarterback

Starter Backup Reserve
QB Justin Herbert Easton Stick

The Chargers elected to roster two quarterbacks instead of three, as they have frequently done in the past.

Running back

Starter Backup Reserve Reserve
RB Austin Ekeler Joshua Kelley Isaiah Spiller Elijah Dotson

Kelley will get most of the carries behind Ekeler to start the season. He earned every bit of the backup job, flashing when he was on the field last year and during the summer. Spiller had a great training camp and preseason, too. He will be playing more snaps as the season progresses. Dotson will likely be an inactive player on game days.

Starter Backup
WR1 Keenan Allen Quentin Johnston
WR2 Mike Williams Derius Davis
WR3 Josh Palmer

Allen and Williams will be the top two receivers, while Palmer gets the majority of the snaps as the third receiver early on. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will draw up plays for Johnston to take advantage of yards-after-the-catch skills. Davis will primarily serve as the return specialist, with some gadget plays and to keep the defense honest with his speed here and there.

Tight end

Starter Backup Reserve Reserve
TE Gerald Everett Donald Parham Tre’ McKitty Stone Smartt

Nothing surprising here. Everett will be the featured tight end, with primarily receiving responsibilities. Parham is another option as a receiver and should have blocking duties, as he was one of the best in that department before dealing with his respective injuries. McKitty will strictly be a blocker, but he will need to show improvement in this area after underwhelming during the summer. Smartt will be a core special teamer, but he deserves offensive snaps after proving to be the best tight end during training camp and preseason.

Offensive line

Starter Backup Reserve
LT Rashawn Slater Foster Sarell
LG Zion Johnson Brenden Jaimes
C Corey Linsley Will Clapp
RG Jamaree Salyer Jordan McFadden
RT Trey Pipkins

The starting five have been set in stone for quite some time, so there aren’t any changes here. Sarell will be the primary swing tackle, meaning he will slide in at the left or right tackle should an injury occur to Slater or Pipkins. McFadden is the swing guard. Clapp is the swing center. Jaimes can play all interior spots.

5 matchups to watch in Chargers-Saints joint practices

The Chargers and Saints should benefit from these matchups.

The Chargers and Saints are linking up for two consecutive joint practices before facing off in the second preseason matchup on Sunday.

Each team has really good players on both sides of the ball, which means there will be some key matchups to keep an eye out for.

Here are five to monitor closely.

Chargers OT Rashawn Slater ready to roll after season-ending injury

The Chargers will benefit immensely from the return of their star left tackle.

After one of the best rookie seasons by an offensive tackle, Rashawn Slater was set for a sensational sophomore campaign. Unfortunately, it was cut short by a torn biceps injury that he suffered in Week 3 against the Jaguars.

Slater missed 15 games in total, including the playoff.

Ten months later, fully healthy, Slater is ready to roll and return to his dominant ways. But now

“I definitely want to be like the best version of myself,” Slater said. “I think I’ve improved as a player since then, just in the way that I see the game and in my technique. I definitely think there was a lot to improve upon that year.

“I don’t anticipate taking any steps back, that’s for sure,” Slater added. “The nice thing about this is that it healed up really well, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Slater, the No. 13 overall selection of the 2021 NFL draft, allowed only 26 pressures and four sacks on 752 pass-block snaps while imposing will in the run game in Year 1. He was named a Pro Bowler and earned Second-Team All-Pro.

As Slater prepares to return to live-game action, he’s benefited from going up against the dynamic duo of edge defenders Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack in training camp as the team is now in pads.

“I take away a lot from those like. Joey and Khalil, they’re so smart in the way they play off of O-linemen,” Slater said. “Every training camp it’s like, if you have just one little mistake in your technique here, they’re going to find a way to exploit that. They really keep you honest.”

“The margin for error is so small, I think it really teaches you quickly what you’re doing wrong and what you need to fix because once they see something, it’s over,” Slater added. “They take advantage of it so well.”

Slater will be a key cog in what is arguably the most complete offensive line that the Chargers have had in many years.

Jamaree Salyer, who started in place of Slater last season, will be the starter at right guard, while Zion Johnson moves over to left guard. They also return center Corey Linsley and right tackle Trey Pipkins, who re-signed on a three-year deal.

5 offensive storylines to follow as Chargers begin training camp

The top storylines to follow on the offensive side of the ball as Brandon Staley and the Chargers begin training camp.

On Wednesday, the Chargers begin their first step to constructing their 53-man roster for the 2023 season as training camp begins at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, CA.

As it gets underway, let’s take a look a look some of the top storylines on each side of the ball. We will begin with the offense.

Ranking the AFC West by offensive tackle duos

Who has the best offensive tackle duo in the AFC West? Here’s now they stack up.

Protection. It can mean a lot in today’s game where quarterbacks are increasingly asked to stand in the pocket and scan the field while the receivers routes develop.

Some quarterbacks can get away with less than ideal protection if they are elusive. But even the best are at their best when they don’t have to improvise or deliver the ball before their preferred target breaks open.

And, remember, tackles must be able to run block as well. That means leading their man outside on an inside run, sealing the edge for and outside run, or getting to the second level on pitches and screens.

Let’s take a look at who is best set up for success at the tackle spots.

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.