Clarity at LG Finally, A Trench Focus with One Chargers Practice Left Before Cutdowns

The Los Angeles Chargers took the field on Monday morning for a brisk and trench-heavy practice to start the final week of training camp. The practice did not provide much insight into roster competitions or any new developments outside of the focus on the line of scrimmage.

The post-practice press conferences from offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and surprisingly right guard Cole Strange were a refreshing dose of accountability regarding the performance against the 49ers and dedication to process improvement. Those press conferences may have provided the biggest news from Monday's practice, but let's dive into what there was to learn.

The coaching staff recognized a growing problem and turned the ship into the storm

The loss of center Tyler Biadasz seemed to have a psychological trickle-down effect on the Chargers offensive players. The preseason game against the 49ers was sloppy and uncharacteristically low energy, especially from the Chargers offensive line.

After back-to-back practices where the offensive line struggled against the defensive line over the weekend, the Chargers coaching staff structured Monday's practice with a focus on the run game and run blocking. On top of the run-heavy focus, they also held a highly competitive segment of one-on-one drills for the offensive and defensive lines to go head-to-head. The one-on-one segment was a battle back and forth between the two sides, finally breathing some confidence back into the offensive line after securing multiple wins against their defensive counterparts.

The Chargers offense seemed to be in a slump following the Biadasz injury. It appears the coaching staff may have found the perfect way to shake up the lineup of practice and help everybody through the storm.

Finally some clarity at left guard, to an extent

Head coach Jim Harbaugh has been much more aloof with his words regarding the starting left guard battle and always manages to deflect the question. Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is a bit more open and to the point on the subject. At McDaniel's press conference after practice he simply mentioned veteran Kayode Awosika and stated "It's almost his job to lose," regarding the starting left guard job.

Harbaugh himself has mentioned Awosika as the leader for the job on two occasions and now with McDaniel reiterating that sentiment, it has been a bit of a shock to see veteran Trey Pipkins walking out at left guard with the first-team offense for three straight days to start practice. This may simply be a courtesy to Pipkins for stepping over to left tackle to fill in for Rashawn Slater's absence during the height of the competition.

It is also likely that with Jake Slaughter sliding over to center and Branson Taylor sidelined with an injury suffered against the 49ers, Pipkins is getting his shot but also still providing Awosika competition to close out camp. We will not truly know who the starting left guard is until Harbaugh officially announces it.

Injuries may make roster decisions more difficult

Chargers running back Keaton Mitchell during joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers at The Bolt — Aug 18, 2026; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Keaton Mitchell (34) during joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mike McDaniel mentioned the roster battles heading into the final preseason game and stated in reference to tough roster decisions "We have another practice and four quarters to evaluate before that time comes." The time limitations provide a bit of a shocking dose of reality. The roster bubble players have very limited time left to separate themselves.

Running back Keaton Mitchell missed another day of practice on Monday and McDaniel described it as a setback. Does a setback for Mitchell open the door for a fourth running back like Amar Johnson to make the roster, especially with Mitchell's injury history? Does a fourth running back take away a roster spot for another position group? Injuries at this point of training camp can have wide-reaching consequences.

Khalil Mack got a veteran rest day on Monday but other players who were out of practice included:

Offensive lineman Branson Taylor
Edge rusher Kyle Kennard
Tight end Scott Matlock
Cornerback Eric Rogers
Wide receiver Sincere Brown

Several players who are missing practice were battling for roles and roster spots. Branson Taylor was competing for the starting left guard job and now is out of that race but likely has done enough to secure a roster spot. Kennard, Matlock and Rogers are all players on the bubble who with the amount of time missed may be on the outside looking in during roster cutdowns.

Accountability at the podium

Chargers guard Cole Strange during minicamp at The Bolt. — Jun 17, 2026; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers guard Cole Strange (69) during minicamp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The general review from the 49ers game was that the Chargers interior offensive line did not play well and right guard Cole Strange has been singled out by multiple media outlets. Instead of standard coach cliche Mike McDaniel was straight-forward about Strange's play against the 49ers and said "I was happy with his intent, not his execution."

To his credit Cole Strange took the podium himself a short time later and addressed the same issues. He put it simply "Not really happy with how I played," Strange stated. "I'd like to play better, but it's preseason, so it was a good opportunity to get out there in front of a crowd and try some things out and get used to playing real games instead of practice.

It sounds like the concerns about the offensive line were not just an external observation but the team made a commitment to address it heading into the third and final preseason game against the Rams and ultimately the regular season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google