The Los Angeles Chargers have been battling injuries all season, especially on the offensive side. And quarterback Justin Herbert has felt it the most. His offensive line, once steady, now looks like a patchwork unit. Both left tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, are out with season-ending injuries. Slater injured his knee back in August, and Alt went down with an ankle injury this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. And that was a major blow to the OL. Recently, after practice, when reporters asked Herbert how he felt about losing Alt, his tone said it all. 

“Yeah, we feel for him,” Herbert said. “It’s tough. I’ve been there before, where you get your season cut short. There are a lot of emotions, but we’re all here for him.” 

You could sense the frustration. Joe Alt started 16 of 17 games last season, so losing him was a huge setback for the Chargers. Replacing Alt and Slater isn’t easy, but Herbert knows there’s no choice left.

“Obviously tough to replace two of those guys, but I think the guys that have stepped up have done a great job,” the Chargers’ QB admitted.

But with Jamaree Salyer stepping in for Joe Alt, the Chargers have been scrambling. The team has rotated through backups like Trey Pipkins and Austin Deculus just to keep Herbert upright. The protection clearly wasn’t holding up. So, at the trade deadline, the Chargers made a move.

The Chargers just picked up OT Trevor Penning from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick. Penning, who was a first-round pick, joined the Chargers at practice on Wednesday. When asked if he’d met the new guy, Herbert then expressed his excitement. 

“Yeah, saw him out there today,” Herbert said. “And just getting, you know, the basics done. Just getting our cadences and getting adjusted to all our playcalls… I’m sure he’ll pick up the offense really quickly.”

But was this move enough to tackle the holes in the roster? When reporters asked Justin what he thought about the Chargers being proactive at the trade deadline, he gave a thoughtful answer. 

“We’re all trying to find a way,” Herbert said. “As long as the season is, as many adversaries as we might deal with, you know, the mission never stops. And I think that’s really cool about what this team, you know, gives, the effort and you know, the focus to the level of winning that we need to have is really good.”

Well, that says a lot about Herbert’s mindset. The QB is moving forward, even if it’s begrudgingly. Losing trusted protection hurts, but Herbert is not letting it derail his focus.

Can the Chargers’ new OT boost Justin Herbert’s OL?

A day after Trevor Penning’s arrival, Chargers’ head coach Jim Harbaugh also shared his thoughts on the fresh addition to his OL. Harbaugh didn’t say whether Penning would play Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the possibility is there. “That’s what the week of practice will be for, to figure out exactly where Trevor fits in best,” Harbaugh said.

Trevor Penning has had a rocky career so far. He’s started 6 games at left guard for the Saints this season, but struggled with consistency. In fact, WWL’s Mike Detillier didn’t hold back when he said Penning has been a “major disappointment” to his franchise. That’s not the kind of label a player wants to bring into a new locker room. Still, fresh starts can do wonders, especially under a coach like Jim Harbaugh.

Los Angeles appears to have faith in Trevor Penning’s versatility. The lineman has experience at both tackle spots and at guard. During his first practice with the Chargers, Penning even took reps at multiple positions. That flexibility could help stabilize an injury-riddled offensive line.

Now, the big question is whether this move will be enough to protect Justin Herbert and keep the Chargers in playoff contention. With a 6-3 record and the season still young, the Chargers can’t afford any more breakdowns.