Chargers Rookie Progress Report: Is It Time to Worry about Jake Slaughter?
It might be fair to wonder if now is the time to panic about Los Angeles Chargers rookie Jake Slaughter.
Slaughter, after all, is one of the more notable NFL rookies about to step into a major role for a team with much at stake next year.
Given how the Chargers navigated the offseason, Slaughter is the lynchpin in an offensive line that is hopefully much upgraded for Justin Herbert. He's expected to come in and start right away in a supercharged attack remade by Mike McDaniel himself.
One would think, given his draft status and importance, that Slaughter would be getting first-team work right about now.
But it's apparently not so simple.
NFL rookie spotlight on Jake Slaughter is...slow
About a week ago at OTAs, Slaughter was…blocking for Trey Lance.
Reporting at the time had free-agent addition Kayode Awosika starting at guard next to tackle Rashawn Slater and new starting center Tyler Biadasz. Like Slater, Joe Alt is back and on track health-wise at the other starting tackle spot.
One week later, Slaughter is still getting rotational work at best and even looks at center, according to ESPN's Kris Rhim:
- LT: Rashawn Slater
- LG: Kayode Awosika
- C: Tyler Biadasz
- RG: Cole Strange
- RT: Joe Alt
And hey, it's only early June. Mandatory work, but not the really important stuff deeper into the summer.
But with Slaughter, the concern has always been there because, rather than draft a straight-up guard who could plug-and-play in the NFL, the Chargers drafted a center who never played guard in college.
Background context is important too. The Chargers have, for whatever reason, been horrific at properly attacking the interior offensive line. Mekhi Becton last year was a major, somewhat predictable flop. It goes on and on.
This offseason, rather than get in the mix for a top free agent or at least draft a pure guard, the Chargers added journeyman Cole Strange to play one guard spot and drafted a center.
The gamble could all work out in the end. But it's almost impossible to blame Chargers fans who feel a little uneasy about the whole thing, given the overarching context.
By Week 1, Slaughter still projects to be the starter. But the plodding pace of this is noteworthy, as the last thing anyone wants to see is a lackluster interior offensive line derail things again when it matters most.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 10:30 AM.