EL SEGUNDO — Now that Trevor Penning has joined the Chargers after Tuesday’s deadline day trade from the New Orleans Saints, now that he’s been assigned a locker inside the team’s training facility, now that he’s been given uniform No. 64, there are questions to be answered before he makes his debut.
Will he play Sunday?
Will he play left tackle?
Will he play right tackle?
Will he play right guard?
Coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday he was unsure whether Penning would play in the Chargers’ Sunday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at SoFi Stadium. Harbaugh also said Penning would likely play at one of the tackle positions, but he didn’t say which one.
“That’s what the week of practice will be for, to figure out exactly where Trevor fits in best,” Harbaugh said of Penning, who began his career with the Saints at left tackle during an injury-filled 2022 season, flipped to right tackle for 2024 and then was shifted to left guard for this season.
“Versatility,” Harbaugh said of what he liked most about Penning, a first-round draft pick (19th overall) by the Saints from Northern Iowa in 2022, after he was a consensus first-team All-American during his senior season in 2021. “He can play guard and tackle.”
At present, the Chargers need help at both positions, but especially at left tackle with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt sidelined by season-ending injuries. Slater injured his knee during training camp in August and Alt hurt his ankle during the second quarter of Sunday’s victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Penning could replace Alt at left tackle or Bobby Hart at right tackle after Hart suffered groin and ankle injuries in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Titans. Hart didn’t practice with his teammates Wednesday and his participation for Sunday night’s game against the Steelers is to be determined.
The Chargers also need depth at right guard in the wake of Mekhi Becton’s knee issues, which sidelined him for their 27-20 victory over the Titans. Foster Sarell replaced Becton for the game against Tennessee, and is likely to do so again if Becton sits out this weekend’s game.
Penning said he worked at both tackle spots during his first practice with the Chargers after he took a daybreak flight from New Orleans and arrived at the practice facility at about 10:30 a.m., or less than three hours before hitting the field. He agreed that it had been a whirlwind 24 hours.
“Seeing other guys, seeing my teammates be traded and hearing from them what it’s all like and, you know, to actually experience it now, it’s pretty crazy,” Penning said. “It’s pretty crazy (going from a team that’s 1-8 to one that’s 6-3). It’s pretty crazy overnight, but I’m excited to be here.”
NOT-SO SPECIAL TEAMS
The Chargers head into Week 10 with one of the NFL’s worst special teams units. They have given up an average of 18 yards per punt return (ranking 32nd) and an average of 29.3 yards per kickoff return (also 32nd). They have averaged 7.1 yards per punt return (29th) and 25.3 yards per kickoff return (21st).
What’s more, the Chargers gave up a 67-yard punt return to the Titans’ Chimere Dike, which gave Tennessee an all-too-brief 14-7 lead in the first quarter.
Harbaugh discounted any notion that roster turnover, including the departure of special teams ace Nick Niemann via free agency during the offseason, contributed to the decline in their rankings. The Chargers also swapped another ace, Ja’Sir Taylor, on Tuesday for a New York Jets draft pick in 2028.
“I just think we need to be better,” Harbaugh said. “We need to be better. That’s not a knowable question (about turnover). You can make that argument, write your article how you will. But, I mean, I like the players we’ve got. They’ve got to step up. They need to play it better. We need to coach it better.
“It comes down to what we’re doing scheme-wise. We look at that. We look at who’s doing it. We look at how they’re doing it. We make sure we’ve got the best, highly motivated guys that can win those one-on-one matchups. That’s what it comes down to in special teams. We’ve got to get better.”