The Chargers’ interior offensive line keeps shifting, and Trey Pipkins has now become part of the latest twist.
Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers have spent training camp sorting through a crowded battle in front of Justin Herbert, with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel overseeing a revamped middle of the line. Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are still the bookend tackles, but Tyler Biadasz has stepped in as the new starting center and Cole Strange has been installed at guard.
That’s where the real mess starts. Jake Slaughter, a rookie center drafted in the second round to play guard, has not been handling that transition well. As a result, free agent Kayode Awosika has picked up first-team snaps, and Trevor Penning has also been involved.
Now Pipkins is in the mix, too.
Best known as a reliable swing tackle, Pipkins has also bounced around at guard before, and he’s doing it again. ESPN’s Kris Rhim reported that Pipkins worked at left guard during training camp late in the week.
It may simply be Harbaugh, McDaniel and the staff trying to see which combination fits best. Still, Pipkins’ right guard work in 2024 and his all-over-the-line role last season came more from emergency depth than from any real push as a locked-in starter.
The Chargers are also looking at other tackle options they hope can help them across the summer. Draft pick Travis Burke could develop into a swing backup, and popular college free agent Isaiah World is waiting in the wings once he’s healthy.
That leaves four names in the guard conversation: Pipkins, Slaughter, Awosika and Penning. Four.
In August. That kind of competition can turn into a true evaluation, but it can also turn into a headache, especially when the group includes players who may not exactly wow anyone if they end up cut.
For the Chargers, this has a familiar feel. The guard spot has been a problem for years, and Herbert has been the one living with the fallout. Maybe this is just an early camp reaction to a small sample, but the pattern is hard to ignore.
The best-case ending is clear enough: Pipkins settles in as the swing backup and Slaughter claims the starting guard job. For now, though, the Chargers have made sure this battle is going to be one of the more unpredictable rides of the summer.
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