Justin Herbert is one unlucky man. Despite MVP-level caliber, an injury-laden offensive line continues to rattle his unit. So much so that even a single playoff victory seems like a far-fetched dream. At such a time, Jim Harbaugh did have both good and bad news to share, and as unfortunate as things stand, the latter was perhaps a tad more painful.

But let’s start with the positive update first. On Monday, the head coach informed that right guard Mekhi Becton is expected to return to practice this week.

“We’ll see how the week of practice goes,” Harbaugh noted.

That’s welcome news for Herbert, who’s been under siege behind a banged-up offensive line all year. But with Becton, you never know, as the player has been in and out even before the season began. While the 26-year-old missed three weeks of training camp with “nagging” knee issues that he called “old stuff…nothing crazy”, the regular season presented a new set of problems altogether.

In Week 3 vs the Denver Broncos, he was out with a concussion, followed by a hand injury in Week 5, and another banged-up knee in the team’s Week 8 win over the Minnesota Vikings.  Hopefully, his presence will be a little more consistent now. Because if not, things aren’t looking too good, especially regarding another star offensive player.

During the same conversation, Harbaugh also informed that the team will be without its star left tackle Joe Alt for the rest of the season.

“Feel bad for Joe,” he said. “I know it’s going to be OK. It’s not going to be life-altering. Feel bad for him.”

Alt will be undergoing surgery for a high ankle injury he sustained in Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Titans. The incident happened with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter. As Herbert dropped back to pass, Alt was on the left side of the line, when former Chargers player Sebastian Joseph-Day beat right tackle Trey Pipkins III and ran toward the QB. However, Pipkins pushed Joseph-Day in the back, which resulted in him falling on Alt’s right ankle.

Alt was then carted off the field. And, apart from the obvious physical discomfort that the player will be experiencing, this is also why it hurts:

The Chargers have now lost both of their starting tackles to injuries. Earlier, in an August training camp practice, left tackle Rashawn Slater, who was a Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro with an 83.6 PFF as a rookie in 2021, tore his patellar tendon.

As for Alt, his team is 4-0 in the games he played, and averaged 0.10 expected points added per play, ranking sixth in the league. Without him, the Chargers stand at 2-3. What’s more, the player’s pass-blocking grade of 82.3 ranks seventh among tackles with at least 300 snaps.

So, what happens now?

Jim Harbaugh’s new-look OL

So, Joe Alt is officially done for the year, and on top of that, veteran tackle Bobby Hart left Sunday’s game with groin and ankle injuries. Jim Harbaugh said he doesn’t expect Hart to land on injured reserve, but all signs point to him missing a few weeks. With that, Harbaugh has already mapped out what the tackle situation will look like moving forward.

“Our tackles moving forward are Trey Pipkins, Austin Deculus, Jamaree Salyer, Foster Sarell has flexibility out there as well,” he said. Salyer filled in at left tackle after Alt went down, and Hart’s exit in the first quarter brought Pipkins III into the game on the right side.

They did hold up against the Titans this week. “It played out in the game and you saw how the guys responded. That’s something about our team that I really admire. There was a lot to overcome in that game Sunday, and our guys found a way and overcame it,” Harbaugh said.

The Chargers did what they had to and came away with a win. But the numbers show how thin the margin is right now. Justin Herbert was sacked six times and pressured throughout the night. The offense found ways to move the ball, but Herbert’s been taking far too many hits lately.

This newly formed OL has potential, but they need to improve fast if they want to make a genuine run in the playoffs.