The Los Angeles Chargers took a huge blow on Thursday when starting left tackle Rashawn Slater went down with a leg injury. Further testing has revealed that he has a torn patellar tendon and will miss the 2025 season.
It's a brutal loss for the Chargers, coming on the heels of the team giving him a four-year, $114 million contract extension just last week. But the team will need to react quickly and replace him in the lineup as best it can.
The Chargers will likely shift Joe Alt over to the left side and put Trey Pipkins back in the starting lineup at the right tackle spot. But the team will need more depth, as the only other tackles on the roster are Jamaree Salyer (normally a guard) and undrafted free agents Corey Stewart and Ryan Nelson.
The Chargers will have to consider hitting the free-agent market, which is close to completely picked over, but a veteran with experience can still be found.
The first name to come up on the market will likely be former Cleveland Browns first-round pick Jedrick Wills, but it sounds like he intends to sit out the entire season in order to get a clean bill of health. The Chargers could still check in on that, but a more likely option would be George Fant.
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Fant is a nine-year NFL veteran who has played in over 100 career games with 75 starts. Undrafted in 2016, he has had two separate stints with the Seattle Seahawks while also playing for the New York Jets and Houston Texans.
He was released by the Seahawks in March but made two starts for them in 2024. Now 33 years old, Fant is not a player you want to have to rely upon on a week-in, week-out basis, but he could still come in for spot duty. The Chargers will have an open spot on the roster after placing Slater on injured reserve and should use that spot on Fant as a backup for Pipkins.
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