Chargers OL hype continues with No. 12 ranking by PFF

The Chargers’ Rashawn Slater and rookie Joe Alt may soon become the top offensive tackle duo in the NFL under Jim Harbaugh.

The Chargers offensive line was heralded to be one of the better units in the NFL prior to the 2023 season when it still boasted former All-Pro center Corey Linsley on top of Rashawn Slater at left tackle. They had 2022 first-rounder Zion Johnson now at left guard and 2022 surprise sixth-rounder Jamaree Salyer now set opposite him on the right.

Unfortunately, we all saw how that hype hastily turned into yet another season wasted by injuries and out-of-left-field occurrences that could not have been foreseen. Linsley ended up sidelined by week four with a non-emergent heart condition and was soon presumed to be retiring after the season. That came to pass and the Chargers were forced to find an emergency backup plan in the offseason.

So now we enter a 2024 season with two new faces on the line with former Ravens center Bradley Bozeman holding down the pivot and 2024 fifth-overall pick Joe Alt manning right tackle. As for an old face in a new place, Trey Pipkins has transitioned inside to right guard as new head coach Jim Harbaugh wants the team’s best five offensive linemen on the field at once and that currently includes the former 2019 third-round pick.

So even with these changes to the unit, it turns out some analysts still believe this unit has the potential be an above-average unit. In Pro Football Focus’ annual offensive line rankings, the Chargers came in at No. 12. That’s four spots higher than where they finished in PFF’s final OL rankings for 2023 back in January.

“We may talk about the Chargers a year from now as having the NFL’s best offensive tackle duo,” says analyst and author Zoltan Buday. “Joining Rashawn Slater at left tackle is rookie Joe Alt as right tackle, selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Los Angeles also signed Bradley Bozeman to play center, following Corey Linsley‘s retirement.”

“There is still room for improvement on the interior, where the Chargers hope that former first-round pick Zion Johnson takes a step forward in his third season.”

Zion Johnson does look to be one of the pivotal players on this unit for 2024. After a steady rookie season where he played every game and dang near every snap, he took a bit of a step back as a sophomore. After posting an overall grade of 64.8 as a rookie (just above average), he slid back to a 57.6 in 2023. His run block grade (69.5 in 2022) also fell to 57.2. On the other hand, his pass block grade increased from 52.6 as a rookie to 58.8 last season.

One thing to note on, however, is that the entire unit struggled to open lanes in the run game last year. Slater’s run block grade took a massive hit and it’s not surprising that Johnson’s (who plays right next to him) also saw his grade drop. Does that mean Johnson affected Slater’s game? Was it the other way around? Could it have been the system? Maybe, but the offensive linemen were adamant that Kellen Moore’s downhill run game was better for their skillsets. So what happened? We may never know, but what we do know is that it wasn’t up to par with the talent and pedigree on this team.

The expectation is that Jim Harbaugh’s guidance and Greg Roman’s offensive system will be a shot in the arm for the entire run game, including the new backs. If they can still hold up in pass protection, the arrow will only be pointing up as a whole if they can begin to inflict their will on opposing defenses come September.