What started as musical chairs is beginning to sound like a sad trombone.
There’s only so many times you can reshuffle an offensive line before it has a ripple effect on the entire football team. The Chargers are reminded of that now as they head into Sunday’s game with the Washington Commanders hoping — as opposed to knowing — they can provide adequate protection for quarterback Justin Herbert.
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After reaching a comfortable cruising altitude with victories over three consecutive AFC West foes, the team is headed for a patch of severe turbulence.
The outstanding Joe Alt, who stepped in at left tackle after Rashawn Slater’s season-ending knee injury, is nursing a high ankle sprain and will not play against Washington. Right guard Mekhi Becton is coming off a concussion and is listed as questionable. So they’re a month into the season and the offensive line is a stitched-together hodgepodge that couldn’t handle the defensive front of the New York Giants last week.
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“It’s like the Cinderella story at some point,” said Duke Manyweather, widely respected offensive line expert. “You know when that clock hits midnight that carriage is going to turn into a pumpkin. You don’t have an answer. You kind of saw that against New York.”
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That’s not to say the situation is hopeless. Teams have lost key offensive linemen before, and there are different ways to compensate for that. But it’s a quandary for Jim Harbaugh, maybe the biggest since taking over as coach before last season. Heading into training camp this summer, the offensive line was a strength of the team, with Slater at left tackle and Alt on the right.
The Chargers didn’t do a lot to upgrade the interior of their line, a liability in January’s playoff loss at Houston, but signing Becton was a step in the right direction. He was a solid run blocker for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles last season.
Chargers offensive tackle Joe Alt (76) will not play on Sunday because of a high ankle sprain. It’s unclear when he might return. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
Becton sustained a concussion in the Week 3 win over Denver and missed the Giants game. He remained in the concussion protocol this week, and his status for Sunday’s game is unclear. He was back at practice Wednesday wearing a yellow no-contact jersey as a precaution.
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Communication among the linemen is key.
“Especially with new guys, you have to speak it out for a while before you get to that point of unspoken communication,” right tackle Trey Pipkins III said. “Once you’ve played next to someone for a long time, you know what they want and what they’re going to do. Until then, it’s about over-communicating everything at the line so everybody’s on the same page.”
It’s unclear when Alt might return after the second-year player was carted off to the locker room against the Giants and watched the second half on the sideline in street clothes and a walking boot. The tackle wore that boot all week.
The Chargers are on their third left tackle in Austin Deculus, who bounced around the league and started one game in the past three seasons, second right tackle and second right guard.
Chargers offensive linemen, including Jamaree Salyer (68) and Bradley Bozeman (75), stand on the field during a win over the Denver Broncos on Sept. 21. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
“At some point you’re starting to play people you haven’t even prepared to really be in there, much less their physical talents,” said Andrew Whitworth, retired All-Pro left tackle and now an analyst for Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football.” “They’re still trying to figure out the offense, the terminology, and they’ve never played beside the guy they’re next to. The war of attrition really starts to take its toll.”
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What that does is test the creativity of Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman to devise ways to fortify the line and protect Herbert without whittling away too many offensive options. They can keep a running back in the backfield to help out with protection, for instance, or add an extra tight end for blocking. But that also handcuffs what the offense can do.
“Sure, you can chip with a back or keep an H-back in there,” Whitworth said. “But then you’ve got fewer guys in the route, you’re holding the ball longer, and now the interior linemen are under even more pressure. You can get by for a few snaps, but you can’t live there.”
In the past two games, Herbert has been pressured in 46 dropbacks, more than any quarterback in the league, according to TruMedia.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is sacked during a win over the Denver Broncos on Sept. 21. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Herbert expressed confidence this week in some of the lesser-known players blocking for him.
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“They’re guys that have seen big football games and guys that played in national championships and huge games like that,” he said. “Maybe it’s new to them for the NFL, but they’ve played in big football games before.”
It’s easy to get carried away with what all of this means. The Chargers are 3-1 and atop their division, and are coming off a 21-18 defeat to the previously winless Giants, whose pass rush is a strength of their team. What’s more, the Chargers had to make those line adjustments in the heat of the action, as opposed to having a week of practice to work with the reconfigured line.
The season is young. Teams have overcome these types of challenges before. The Rams had to reshuffle their line on multiple occasions last season and wound up coming close to knocking off the Eagles and advancing to the NFC championship game.
Still, the next few weeks will be illuminating for the Chargers.
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“We’re going to learn about the depth of this team,” said Manyweather, founder of OL Masterminds, which trains offensive linemen of all levels.
“We’re going to learn about the coaching. And we’re probably going to learn even more about Justin Herbert and his ability to create and carry the team.”
We’ll also learn if a pumpkin can turn back into a carriage.
Times writer Benjamin Royer contributed to this report.
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