Chargers don’t have anyone listed as backup left tackle after Rashawn Slater's injury

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Somehow, this is an understatement: If Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater needs to miss time after leaving practice on a cart, Jim Harbaugh’s team is in serious trouble. 

The Chargers don’t have anyone to blame but themselves, either. 

While Chargers fans wait to see the severity of Slater’s injury, one trip to the team’s official website reveals a depth chart that…doesn’t even list a backup left tackle. 

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Granted, depth charts are unofficial and, frankly, archaic. But fans not even being able to see who might play where if Slater misses time is a red flag. 

It’s a red flag the Chargers saw and didn’t address, either. In the interim, the team could slide Joe Alt over to Slater’s spot on the left side, much as he did while Slater was out with what the team said was a nagging issue before his recent contract extension. 

Otherwise, the Chargers will roll out someone like Trey Pipkins, a swing backup, in that Slater spot. That, or Ryan Nelson could get a look. 

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Written another way? If Slater misses a chunk of time, the Chargers will need to get active in free agency, on the waiver wire or perhaps even the trade block, if not more than one. 

This hiccup follows on the heels of the Chargers not really appearing to take the interior of the offensive line seriously this offseaosn, either. After the big free-agent splash that was Mekhi Becton, the so-called competition at the other two spots has produced Zion Johnson and Bradley Bozeman as starters after their struggles last year. 

Now, the surefire elite offensive tackle tandem capable of stabilizing the line is in jeopardy, leaving the Chargers in a tough spot and the depth chart looking iffy. 

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