Chargers Name Starting Right Tackle Following Competitive Training Camp Battle
COSTA MESA – The Chargers training camp battle at right tackle has come to an end, making clear who's expected to start Week 1 and beyond.
Head coach Brandon Staley formally announced that fourth-year player Trey Pipkins has been named the team's starting right tackle.
Staley refrained from declaring Pipkins the guy until training camp and the preseason came to an end, but is was pretty clear beforehand – Pipkins had taken all the first-team reps at right tackle throughout the final week of camp, while Storm Norton moved over to the left side taking reps with the second unit.
"Trey had a very quality camp, as did Storm," Staley said. "It was a really good competition for our football team. Trey definitely earned that position. Storm is going to be a guy that we lean on heavily. We feel like the offensive line, as you guys covered throughout the league, it’s tough to field a deep, quality offensive line. We feel like we’re much closer to being that, as a football team, and Storm’s gonna be a big part of it."
For the greater part of camp, Norton had split the first-team reps with Pipkins. He now figures to serve the Chargers' swing tackle role. He'll be the first guy called upon off the bench in the event that the Chargers need reinforcements at some point during the year at one of the two tackle spots, as a result of injury or productivity.
"We know that we’ve won a lot of football games here and played a lot of high-caliber offensive football with him starting for us, so we’re going to need them both," Staley said of Norton."
Last season, when Bryan Bulaga was sidelined for the year following a Week 1 injury, they turned to Norton as the starter for 15 games. Though, he was hit-and-miss at times during his 2021 campaign, the coaching staff has stated that they've seen a more well-rounded player from Norton throughout the summer of camp and the preseason.
Across Pipkins' first three NFL seasons, he's made just 10 starts. Now, he'll be the guy called upon on a regular basis to keep the right side clean for quarterback Justin Herbert.
"I’m really proud of Trey. He’s come a long way since one year ago, today. It’s what the NFL means to me. That’s why you stick with players. You don’t ever stop. You don’t give up on anybody, you stay with them. You keep at it and you keep competing together. Trey deserves full credit because he’s the one that invested so much in his game."
Pipkins and Norton have largely benefit from facing Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa in practice each day. They're about as good of a pass rushing tandem in the league, so facing elite competition will only make the two offensive tackles better prepared come game day.
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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.
