Chargers' Bradley Bozeman, Trey Pipkins struggles need to be addressed

Center and right guard have been an issue for the Chargers, and it led to an embarrassing loss

Sep 11, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Trey Pipkins III (79) against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After averaging 133 yards and a touchdown on 9.85 yards per carry through the first two games of this season, Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins has been put into a box.

In a run-heavy scheme like Greg Roman's, is Dobbins, his playcaller or his offensive line to blame?

From Weeks 3-7, Dobbins is averaging just 53 yards on 3.1 yards per carry. In those four games, Dobbins has crossed the goal line just once.

The first three games of that four-game span were understandable against the defenses of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos — three of the top 10 rushing defenses in the NFL. However, Monday's outing against the Arizona Cardinals was simply embarrassing.

Arizona entered that game ranked 29th in rushing defense, allowing 153 rushing yards per game. Somehow, Dobbins was held to 40 yards as his teammates pitched in just 19 more.

When something like that happens to a back like Dobbins and a coordinator like Roman, the offensive line has to be examined. More specifically, the interior of the line has to be evaluated.

Offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater appear to be the real deal, and their absences were severely felt. However, the interior of Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman and Trey Pipkins has been questionable.

Johnson, a 2022 first-round pick has held up his end of the bargain. However, Bozeman and Pipkins are making life hard on everyone else, and it doesn't help that they line up next to each other.

Bozeman, a 2018 sixth-round pick, is now on his third team after the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers gave up on him. Pipkins was at right tackle last year and was awful. Now, he isn't doing much better on the interior.

With Bozeman and Pipkins around, it's clear the Chargers have to address the interior this offseason. The larger looming question, though, is are there struggles enough to give the Chargers an excuse to pass on a wide receiver in the first round of the 2025 draft?

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