Slater Misses a Third Straight Practice, and the Chargers' Offensive Line Is Unsettled Again

Three days ago I wrote that both starting tackles being active was the good news. It still was, then. Rashawn Slater has now sat out practice for the third consecutive day, and whatever comfort the Chargers took from clearing that mid-July health scare has evaporated quickly.

The timing is worth noting. The front office added Trey Pipkins III to the left guard competition at the end of July — a move that read at the time as depth insurance. With Slater's status now clouded again, that contingency looks less like roster housekeeping and more like the staff saw something coming. Joe Alt remains active, which matters, but a left tackle absence of this duration in the second week of camp is not nothing.

There is no diagnosis in the public record, and Slater's official status still shows active. Three missed practices is a data point, not a verdict. But this organization spent most of July managing uncertainty at the tackle spots, and the idea that it was cleanly resolved on August 1st now looks premature. Worth watching the next few days closely.