Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater injury updates: Latest news on Los Angeles Chargers OL

Chris Roling | Oct 9, 2024

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It sort of fell behind names like Justin Herbert and Joey Bosa for obvious reasons, but Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater have been dealing with injury issues leading into the Week 6 AFC West game against the Denver Broncos, too. 

Wednesday, both Alt and Slater returned to practice after the bye, according to Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times. That's an important first step on the return path for both tackles—and huge for the offense as a whole.

Alt, the fifth-overall pick this year who got off to a hot start by shutting down Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby, suffered a sprained MCL during the Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and missed the Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Slater, the elite tackle on the other edge in front of Herbert, went down against the Steelers with a pec injury and also missed the AFC West game against the Chiefs. 

Should Alt or Slater need to miss more time or come out of the lineup against the Broncos, the Chargers will again be forced to lean on a hodgepodge of names such as Jamaree Salyer in the lineup. 

The Chargers have already struggled to find an offensive identity under Jim Harbaugh, partially due to these injury woes in the trenches. While the head coach and coordinator Greg Roman would like to lean heavily into the run, the lack of cohesion and chemistry for the starting five up front makes the tone shift for the organization more difficult. That makes Alt and Slater just as important to watch as the other injured names before kickoff. 

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