Chargers Receive Huge Injury Updates on Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt

The Los Angeles Chargers' offensive line was abysmal in 2025. There's no nice way to put it, they were simply awful for the entire season. Poor play certainly played part in their demise, especially along the interior. It just so happened that the Chargers' offensive line bad luck began before the regular season even started.

Rashawn Slater, who at the time signed a record-breaking extension for left tackles, ruptured his patellar tendon last August and missed the entire 2025 season. Joe Alt appeared in just 6 games, as multiple ankle injuries prematurely ended his sophomore campaign.

With a revamped offensive line that includes Tyler Biadasz and rookie Jake Slaughter, the Chargers are ready to roll on that front. The return of Slater and Alt will be huge as well, as both have looked great during OTAs according to reports.

It may be the best news they've received all offseason.

Chargers' Slater and Alt "moving very well" working back from injury

Los Angeles Chargers tackle Joe Alt — Joe Alt | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Daniel Popper of the Athletic laid out his observations from the Chargers' first wave of OTAs. With new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and offensive line coach Butch Barry instilling a new system, Popper said that he'd, "never seen offensive linemen run so much in practice."

This is a major change, as the Chargers' offense will require linemen to expand their range and show off athleticism in space. When it came to how Slater and Alt looked during these drills, Popper had rave reviews about the Bolts' top tackles.

"The offensive linemen who remained have looked very capable in these drills, including tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt," Popper wrote. "Both are coming off season-ending injuries. Both are moving very well."

"General manager Joe Hortiz said last month that Slater and Alt are “ahead of schedule.” How they have looked in Phase 2 aligns with that timeline. Alt and Slater are going to get their opportunities to play in space in this offense."

If it's true that Slater and Alt are ahead of schedule in terms of coming back from their injuries, that's huge news for the offense. Installing a new system is hard enough, but doing it without both starting tackles would've been a massive roadblock to overcome.

With Slater and Alt both trending in the right direction, this Chargers offense can hit the ground running and gel together quickly. It'll be interesting to see how both perform with training camp coming in a few months.

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