EL SEGUNDO — There have been plenty of questions about the Chargers’ offensive line since left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending knee injury during training camp Aug. 7. Two more were raised after Jamaree Salyer started and played so capably in Sunday’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
First, did Salyer play well enough during a 31-14 victory to get another start Monday night against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles? Second, what took so long for the Chargers to give Salyer the job after Joe Alt, Austin Deculus and Trevor Penning had started at left tackle?
Actually, in full disclosure, Alt was the natural choice to shift to left tackle from right tackle after Slater’s injury. But when Alt sustained a season-ending ankle injury in the Chargers’ victory Nov. 2 over the Tennessee Titans, the Chargers were forced to go deep into their pool of backups.
In fact, the Chargers acquired Penning at the NFL trade deadline Nov. 4 in order to bolster their depth on the offensive line in the wake of the injuries to Slater, Alt, right guard Mekhi Becton (knee) and Trey Pipkins III (knee). Left guard Zion Johnson and center Bradley Bozeman are the only linemen to start every game.
So, why not Salyer, who played some of his best football while Slater was sidelined for all but three games during the 2022 season? Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman had a solid answer Thursday when discussing Salyer’s play during Sunday’s game against Las Vegas.
“He was dealing with something early in the year that didn’t allow us to put him out in space, if that makes any sense,” Roman said, referring to an unspecified knee injury that limited Salyer to a backup role. “That definitely (playing left tackle) was the plan early on, but health considerations prevented it.”
Roman indicated that if all goes to plan, if Salyer remains healthy, then the job will be his for the final five regular-season games and into the playoffs, if the Chargers (8-4) advance that far. His play as quarterback Justin Herbert’s blind-side protector impressed Roman on Sunday.
“Huge, it would be huge,” Roman said of the consistency the Chargers would gain if Salyer is able to fill such a key role. “We need Jamaree to continue to ascend. He’s a very impactful player. If we can get him settled in there consistently, it’s amazing how impactful that would be.”
What makes him so impactful?
It’s not simply that he’s 6-foot-4, 325 pounds, is it?
There are plenty of players his size and larger in the NFL.
“He’s a smart guy,” Roman said. “Jamaree is a really intelligent human being. He has a good feel for leverage, body position, where to anchor his weight where he needs to depending on what a defender is doing, and he’s got good spatial awareness. He understands the angles and has a feel where the quarterback is, too. So, a lot of really good traits there, a lot of nuance that goes into him playing well.”
CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC
Herbert threw passes during individual drills, the portion of practice reporters were allowed to watch. His participation was termed “limited” in the Chargers’ official injury report after he sat out practice Wednesday, two days after he underwent surgery on his left, non-throwing hand.
“For this game, in particular, we’re really optimistic Justin is going to play,” Roman said of Herbert’s availability Monday against the Eagles.
DICKER HONORED
The Chargers nominated kicker Cameron Dicker for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for the second consecutive season as much for his 94% field goal accuracy, the highest in league history, as for his countless hours of community service in Southern California.