EL SEGUNDO — Left tackle Rashawn Slater raised up from his stance and backed up a step or two to begin pass-blocking during a Chargers drill Thursday. In a nanosecond, he hit the ground with a thud, in obvious pain. Athletic trainers ran to his aid while teammates watched from a distance, in obvious concern.
A cart arrived in a matter of moments and Slater was taken from the field to the training room with what proved to be a torn left patellar tendon, the Chargers announced. Slater is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery, the team said in a statement released later in the day.
Slater tossed his helmet and pounded the cart with his fist in frustration as he was taken to the athletic training room inside the Chargers’ practice facility. He needed assistance getting from the cart to the door of the building, appearing to be unable to put weight on his left leg.
Slater, 26, is listed as standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 315 pounds. He was the Chargers’ first-round draft pick in 2021 from Northwestern University.
“Yeah, man, I didn’t really see nothing,” said Chargers outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, who could be seen rushing Slater and then spinning away as Slater collapsed onto the turf in a video clip taken by a fan from the stands and posted to X (formerly Twitter). “I just kind of turned around and then, boom.”
Slater is recognized as one of the four pillars of the Chargers, along with quarterback Justin Herbert, outside linebacker Khalil Mack and safety Derwin James Jr. He signed a four-year, $114-million contract extension July 27, making him the highest-paid left tackle in the NFL by average annual salary.
Of his contract extension, Slater said on July 28, “It feels amazing.”
“Honestly, just super thankful for the organization believing in me,” he added. “It means a lot for me and my family. But it doesn’t change anything. I’m going to wake up and give it my all every day. I’m just super thankful to be here.”
The prolonged absence of Slater, a two-time Pro Bowl selection in his first four seasons, will prove to be difficult for the Chargers to overcome. Joe Alt shifted from right tackle to left tackle and Trey Pipkins III slotted into Alt’s position at right tackle for the remainder of Thursday’s practice.
The Chargers have been without right guard Mekhi Becton since July 28 because of what was described by Coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman as a relatively minor injury. In fact, Roman said it was “extremely minor,” but neither he nor Harbaugh elaborated.
Backup lineman Jamaree Salyer has taken over for Becton during his absence.
Neither Harbaugh nor Roman was available to speak to reporters Thursday to discuss Slater’s injury, so it was left up to Tuipulotu and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to talk about the impact Slater’s injury will have on the Chargers’ offensive line in the days, weeks and months to come.
“We’re praying for him, we hope he’s doing well,” Tuipulotu said. “We wish him the best. That’s just something you don’t want to see, you know? Not only Rashawn, but any of our players being carted off or anybody down. We don’t want them going into the training room. We’re supporting everybody.”
Minter also said he didn’t see what happened to Slater and declined to speculate on what might have happened or how long Slater might be sidelined. Minter then praised Slater from the standpoint of having pass rushers like Tuipulotu and Mack go against him every day in practice.
“Rashawn’s a great player,” Minter said. “He’s an All-Pro caliber player.”