EL SEGUNDO — The Chargers shifted into “next man up” mode after offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater were injured in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend. Exactly what that meant was anyone’s guess Thursday, but it could mean a new-look offensive line against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Any and all options “are in play,” according to Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman. The Chargers could limit any disruption to their offensive line by simply replacing Alt and Slater straight up, although it would be difficult to find replacements of equal value for the two tackles, two first-round draft picks.
The Chargers also could shift Trey Pipkins III from right guard to left tackle, as they did during their 20-10 loss to the Steelers, and they could insert Jamaree Salyer into either Pipkins’ or Alt’s position on the right side of the line. They also could plug Foster Sarell into one spot or another.
“There are multiple options,” Roman said. “That’s why you have to move people around. That’s why you have to play guys in different spots. The more you can sustain that cohesiveness, that continuity, the better. But we all know it’s not always going to be that way. Next man up. Let’s go. Let’s go to work.”
None of the Chargers’ options are ideal when facing the Chiefs, winners of the past two Super Bowls and three of the past five. The Chiefs aren’t renowned as a stellar defensive team, but defensive tackle Chris Jones is a force to be reckoned with under the best of circumstances.
And Sunday might not be that good for the Chargers.
Protecting the quarterback, whether it’s injured starter Justin Herbert or backups Taylor Heinicke or Easton Stick on Sunday, will be a priority. It will become all the more important if Herbert starts despite a sprained right ankle that sidelined him for the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh and means he’s not as mobile as usual.
Herbert’s participation was described as limited for Thursday’s practice.
Blocking the likes of Jones could be an all the more difficult chore if Alt and Slater are sidelined. Neither Alt nor Slater practiced because of knee and pectoral injuries. Alt worked out on the sideline while his teammates practiced during the period of the workout that was open to reporters.
“Chris Jones is a very unique player,” Roman said. “Unbelievable skills. He’s been doing it for a long time at an incredibly high level. We have tons of respect for that. He can line up anywhere. He’ll just walk around and pick a spot sometimes and say, ‘I’m going here.’ So, you’ve got to be ready for him to be anywhere. He can walk around as a linebacker. Extra care must be taken.”
Center Bradley Bozeman sounded a confident tone, saying he believed the Chargers’ line, no matter how makeshift it might appear Sunday against the Chiefs, could do the job. He wasn’t concerned about a drop-off in play with Alt and Slater possibly sidelined together.
“We’ve built a great room,” Bozeman said of the O-line. “We have a really good room. Coaches and the GM and all the staff have built a really great room to be ready for these kinds of situations. Great guys. We’re going to go out there and compete. We’ve got guys who can get the job done.”
REPLACING JAMES
Elijah Molden is likely to replace safety Derwin James Jr., who was suspended by the NFL for Sunday’s game for accumulating too many illegal tackles to the head. James had five unnecessary roughing penalties called against him over the past 18 games, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press.
Molden started in place of Alohi Gilman when Gilman was sidelined by an injury for the Chargers’ victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 15. However, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter suggested that James’ absence could be filled by more than one player, including Molden and AJ Finley.
“The guys we’ll have out there, we’ll feel like they’re well prepared,” Minter said. “We have a lot of confidence in them to follow the game plan. The way we’ve always (prepared) guys at different positions, with different groups, the amount of reps we had during camp and during practice certainly helps in a situation like this.”
