Chargers Sign Veteran Tackle After Rashawn Slater's Season-Ending Injury

The Chargers have signed a veteran offensive tackle after Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending injury.
Veteran offensive tackle David Sharpe has been signed by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Veteran offensive tackle David Sharpe has been signed by the Los Angeles Chargers. / Brad Mills-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Chargers made two moves on Saturday, both incredibly consequential to their season.

First, Los Angeles placed Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater on injured reserve, as he will miss the rest of the season after he ruptured his patellar tendon. Then the team went about replacing him on the roster by signing veteran tackle David Sharpe, which they announced on Saturday.

The Chargers will move second-year tackle Joe Alt from the right side of the line to the left to replace Slater, and several players will battle for the starting right tackle job. Sharpe will presumably be among them.

Sharpe was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2017 but has bounced around the NFL. He has played for the Raiders and Texans on two occasions, while also spending time with the Commanders, Ravens, Panthers and Jets.

The 29-year-old was on the Jets and Texans' practice squads in 2024. Overall, he has 45 games of NFL experience with six starts.

The Chargers selected Alt with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to create a tackle tandem with Slater. Now he'll take his partner's spot for the season.


More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed


Published
Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.