The Los Angeles Chargers are heading toward Week 1 with the same nagging issue that has hovered over their entire offseason: who is going to line up at left guard in front of Justin Herbert?
That question has only gotten louder after final cuts, the initial 53-man roster, and the practice squad took shape. The Chargers also had the trade market to consider, but the result is the same - the left side of the line still looks unsettled, and head coach Jim Harbaugh’s comments did little to calm anyone down.
Right now, the job appears to be down to Kayode Awosika or Trey Pipkins. Even then, Harbaugh made clear that the competition is still open, which is its own kind of problem for a team trying to settle an offensive line.
After final cuts, Harbaugh told reporters the Chargers could even mix and match during the season.
"I'm not so sure nothing precludes us from playing them both. That's a possibility, too.
Great option there, that bodes so good for us," Harbaugh said, according to Eric Smith of Chargers.com. "Maybe play freshest guy, hottest hand.
The old platooning guards. It's been done before and it could be something that's really good for us.
That's at our disposal, that's where I see the left guard position as I stand here today."
That kind of approach might work in some spots. Left guard isn’t one of them. A starting five needs rhythm, repetition and trust, and this unit is already trying to build all of that while learning a new system under a new coordinator on a new team.
The injuries haven’t helped. Branson Taylor is out, and Tyler Biadasz going down for the season pushed Jake Slaughter back to center.
But the larger issue is hard to miss. The Chargers are looking at a setup that includes a so-so free-agent signing or a backup swing tackle at guard, a rookie center in the middle, and another so-so free-agent signing beside him. That’s not exactly the kind of foundation teams love to roll into a season with.
And the frustrating part for Chargers fans is that the money was there to do more. The team still sits with roughly $40 million in cap space, and it had plenty of chances to attack the problem more aggressively. Instead, it left the position with more questions than answers.
If this turns into the one season that feels truly “all-in” for the Justin Herbert-Mike McDaniel pairing, the Chargers may look back on this decision as the one that set the tone.
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