The Chargers Are Down Their Starting Center and Their Left Tackle. That's the Whole Protection Spine.

Slater is questionable and hasn't practiced consistently in weeks. Biadasz is out indefinitely with ACL damage. Two days ago I wrote that the Chargers lacked a backup plan that inspired confidence at center — now the same sentence applies to the tackle position, and the problems have merged into a single, uglier one.

The depth chart behind Slater lists Trevor Penning and Laekin Vakalahi. At center, Jake Slaughter is the name that comes up first, with Jacob Spomer behind him. These are the men currently standing between Justin Herbert and an unobstructed pass rush in Week 1. Herbert threw for 3,886 yards and 26 touchdowns last season behind a line that, when healthy, was one of the better units in the conference. That version of the line no longer exists in any recognizable form.

What makes this harder is that the Chargers were already operating with thin margin. They won more games last year than their underlying performance probably warranted, converting close games at a rate that isn't repeatable. The skill position talent — McConkey, Johnston, Hampton — is real. But skill positions need time, and time needs a pocket, and right now the pocket is being assembled from whoever is available and upright. Isaiah World is out entirely. Slater is questionable. The line that was supposed to protect a potential MVP candidate is being rebuilt from the inside out, three weeks before the season opens.