Chargers LT Rashawn Slater Carted Off Practice Field With Left Leg Injury originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Daniel Popper of The Athletic reported that Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater was carted off the practice field with an apparent leg injury during practice on Thursday. The injury happened during a team period when a player fell into Slater's leg during the play.
According to Popper, as he was being carted off the field, Slater "threw his helmet in frustration. He slammed his hand onto the cart. A trainer placed a towel over Slater's head. Slater was then helped inside The Bolt by two trainers." Popper added in a full article detailing the injury that Slater was unable to put any weight on his leg.
While the full extent of his injury is unknown, any time a reaction like that is paired with the player having to be carted off the field, a serious injury is very likely.
This injury comes shortly after Slater's recent contract extension, which made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league last week. Hopefully, the injury isn't serious and is just a bad scare, but if it's as bad as it seems, it could be a disaster for an already weak Chargers offensive line.
After adding Mekhi Becton in free agency this offseason, there was hope that the Chargers' interior line could start to become less of a weak point in 2025. However, the information emerging from training camp hasn't been positive about the other two interior starters, left guard Zion Johnson and center Bradley Bozeman. If Slater has to miss significant time, which seems likely, the only positive aspects of the line could be right tackle Joe Alt and the recent addition in Becton.
The Chargers have Jamaree Salyer on the roster, who started 14 games in 2022 when Slater was injured in Week 3 that year. Salyer was serviceable in that role, according to PFF, who gave him a grade of 69.8 for his performance that season, ranking 45th among eligible tackles that season.
Ultimately, the best-case scenario is that Slater's injury turns out to be just a scare. While that seems unlikely, there's still hope he can return for at least part of the season.