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New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Chargers OTA observations, Week 2: Zion Johnson at center, rookies on acclimation plan
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers kicked off their second week of organized team activities Tuesday at the team facility. They opened OTAs last week with a May 27 practice that was open to the media. Tuesday's practice was the second OTA open to the media. The Chargers are scheduled for two more OTAs this week: Wednesday and Thursday. Next week, Los Angeles will hold its minicamp, which is scheduled for three days, from June 10 to 12. It is scheduled for three more OTAs the following week. Minicamp is mandatory, and OTAs are voluntary. Advertisement Here are my notes, observations and takeaways from Tuesday's practice. 1. Once again, coach Jim Harbaugh produced encouraging attendance. Three players were not on the field for Tuesday's practice: left tackle Rashawn Slater, rookie receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith and rookie defensive back Nikko Reed. The Chargers also had three players missing from last week's practice: Slater, edge rusher Bud Dupree and offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III. Dupree and Pipkins were on the field Tuesday. Slater is the only player who has not been on the field for both open OTAs. 2. June 10, the start of mandatory minicamp, is the date to monitor for Slater. The Chargers and Slater remain in contract extension negotiations. Slater is one of the elite tackles in football and is worthy of a top-of-market extension. A deal is still likely to get done before the start of the season. The stakes become more pressing closer to training camp — and certainly once training camp is underway. From the Chargers' standpoint, they need Slater on the field; having their star tackle miss any time in training camp would not be ideal. From Slater's standpoint, those training camp practices are essential to getting in shape and performing. Right now, the stakes are minimal. OTAs are voluntary. Players are free to continue training on their own. Whether Slater shows up to mandatory minicamp next week will be telling as far as where negotiations stand. According to the collective bargaining agreement, the Chargers would be eligible to fine Slater for any minicamp days he misses. 3. With Slater out, the Chargers set up with the following first-team offensive line during positional drills: LT Pipkins, LG Bradley Bozeman, C Zion Johnson, RG Mekhi Becton and RT Joe Alt. Pipkins did not participate in full team drills, and Jamaree Salyer replaced him at left tackle for those periods. The other four spots remained the same. Advertisement 4. Johnson, who started at left guard for the Chargers last season, has been working on his snapping this spring as he tries to make a transition to center. Tuesday marked the first day he worked at center during team drills for a practice open to the media. Bozeman was the Chargers' starting center last season, but he has experience playing left guard. He started at left guard for two full seasons for the Baltimore Ravens in 2019 and 2020. Greg Roman was Bozeman's offensive coordinator for both of those seasons. Roman is now the Chargers' offensive coordinator. Harbaugh said earlier this spring that Bozeman and Johnson will be rotating at left guard and center for the foreseeable future. Bozeman was at center during last week's open OTA. Johnson worked at left guard during positional drills but did not participate in team drills. The test for Johnson will come when the pads are on in training camp and he will be forced to deal with contact and play speed more closely aligned with game action. tre on the move — Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) June 3, 2025 5. When asked Tuesday about rookies Tre Harris and Lambert-Smith, receivers coach Sanjay Lal said the Chargers are purposely 'bringing them along slowly.' 'They're behind physically,' Lal said. 'They've been on the banquet circuit.' Lal was referring to the many trips and visits of the pre-NFL Draft process. Harris was a second-round pick, and Lambert-Smith was a fifth-round pick. 'Their fitness is not like our other guys,' Lal said. As mentioned, Lambert-Smith was not on the field for Tuesday's practice. Harris has been working in periodically with the first-team offense, but it is still early. He will have to earn his spot. Harris caught one pass from quarterback Justin Herbert last week. He had another catch from Herbert on Tuesday, winning on a comeback route. Advertisement 'I have seen the skill sets that we drafted,' Lal said of the rookies. 'Those are showing up. Just got to get them more in shape.' 6. With the rookies on an acclimation plan, third-year receiver Quentin Johnston has been working consistently with the first-team offense. Johnston, who set career highs in catches (55), yards (711) and touchdowns (eight) last season, caught four passes from Herbert in last week's open OTA. Tuesday, he caught four more passes from Herbert. The highlight of the day for Johnston was a clean comeback route along the left sideline against rookie cornerback Trikweze Bridges. Johnston took advantage of a sizable cushion and drove suddenly out of his break. It was his best route of the day, and it led to a third-down conversion. Johnston will be in a heated battle come training camp. The Chargers are easing the rookies along. But by mid-July, they will be in better shape. And they — along with veteran Mike Williams — will be pushing Johnston for playing time on the outside. Johnston improved significantly last season in all phases, from his route deception to his releases. He still had untimely blips, none of them worse than a third-down drop against the Ravens in a late-November prime-time game. Lal said he has 'only one expectation' for Johnston this season: 'That he keeps ascending.' 'I can't put a ceiling on it,' Lal added. 'It is what it's going to be. He works hard. He's diligent. He's self-aware. So he's very much on the right track.' The Chargers also brought in three players this offseason — Williams, Harris and Lambert-Smith — who can play Johnston's position. Lal said he told Johnston, 'He's a starter, because he is.' Lal added that Johnson reacted to the receiver additions like 'water off a duck's back.' 'Just keep working,' Johnston said Tuesday. 'I feel like everybody still has to come and show up.' Advertisement 7. All these receivers will be complementary pieces to the Chargers' star: Ladd McConkey. And it seems McConkey and Herbert have picked up where they left off last season. McConkey had two third-down receptions in Tuesday's practice, including one on a smooth out route. McConkey set Chargers rookie records in receptions and receiving yards in 2024. McConkey said his primary goal this offseason was 'getting my body healthy.' He battled hip, shoulder and knee injuries last season. McConkey played 17 of a possible 18 games, including the postseason. He was inactive for a Week 14 game against the Kansas City Chiefs because of the knee and shoulder ailments. McConkey conceded he was 'banged up a little bit last year.' McConkey said part of his preparation for this season has been educating himself in the 'art to falling down.' McConkey is tough, and he is a weapon after the catch. But he is also smaller in stature. And he believes taking fewer hits will lead to more consistent durability. 'Obviously, there's times, like third downs, I got to do what I got to do to get the first down,' McConkey said. 'I'm always going to do that. But just being smart within the game.' Lal cut up clips of former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman and current Tennessee Titans receiver Tyler Lockett as teach tape for McConkey. Lal coached Lockett with the Seattle Seahawks. 'Julian Edelman does a great job of falling forward and getting some extra yards,' McConkey said. 'He would run through people, too, but he had an art. I've watched a cutup of him catching and puncturing in zone and just getting a couple extra yards by diving forward and just falling forward — not taking a direct hit but still getting those extra yards.' 'Julian would get vertical, dive forward and get a cheap 2 or 3 more yards,' Lal said. 'Tyler had great feel of when to go down. You blend that and put it into Ladd, that will accentuate his game.' Advertisement 8. The Chargers continued to rotate heavily at cornerback. Cam Hart did not participate in team drills for the second straight week. He said last week he expects to be back participating fully during minicamp. Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still, Benjamin St-Juste and Ja'Sir Taylor all played on the outside in Tuesday's practice. Jackson had a pick off a deflection. Taylor had a pass breakup while covering receiver Derius Davis on a third down. Taylor read Davis' out route well and played with great leverage. 9. Davis got Taylor back later in practice on a crossing route, surging across the middle to create separation. Lal spoke highly of Davis, who has served primarily as a returner in his career. Davis has 4.3 speed. 'The more confident he gets, the more he'll use his speed,' Lal said. 'There's so much untapped speed there.' 10. Keep an eye out for undrafted rookie tight end Stevo Klotz. He caught five passes in Tuesday's team drills. There might not be a spot for him on the 53-man roster, but he feels like a lock for the practice squad, with the potential to make an impact as an elevation player during the season. Klotz is a solid blocker, which should show up when the pads come on next month. And he should also be a factor in special teams. Klotz was working on his long-snapping in the early stages of Tuesday's practice. (Photo of Zion Johnson working with Marcus Owens: Keith Birmingham / MediaNews Group / Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Los Angeles Chargers Keeping An Eye Out For Tackle Rashawn Slater
I Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater (70), the top player along the team's offensive ... More line, is boycotting L.A.'s voluntary workouts as he seeks a multi-year deal to replace the final year of his rookie contact. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko) It's just a voluntary series of off-season workouts, so Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater's absence isn't big news. Yet. But maybe it transforms into something bigger, as the massive Slater is entrusted with protecting quarterback Justin Herbert's blindside and is in need of a contract upgrade. Slater, a two-time Pro Bowler, is scheduled to earn $19.04 million this season after L.A. picked up the fifth-year option of his $35.6 million rookie deal, according to Over The Cap. But the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Slater, a former first-round selection, has outplayed his contract and is possibly making a statement by skipping practices. Attending the workouts are at the player's choosing, but not participating is something Slater has never chosen to do previously. The Chargers' mid-June minicamp is mandatory and if Slater stiff-arms those, it would not only raise a red flag but cost him more than $92,000 in fines. Slater is among the few anchors of an offensive line that the Chargers are seeking to improve. It was exposed, especially along the interior, when L.A. was eliminated by the Houston Texans in last season's first round of the playoffs. The edges are set with Slater and Joe Alt at right tackle. Although Alt struggled as well in the playoff loss, his inefficiency was attributed more to him being a rookie rather than his lack of skills. The dearth of urgency regarding Slater's contract situation might be an organizational strategy. It's rare that the Chargers reward a player with his second contract, or extension, until the last minute. They followed that approach with Herbert, safety Derwin James Jr. and outside linebacker Joey Bosa. When July's training-camp clock gets close to midnight, that's usually when L.A. strikes deals with its players. The Chargers have an offensive line in motion after signing free-agent Mekhi Becton to play right guard. That could move guard Zion Johnson to center, a position he's never played in college or the NFL, and possibly have a number of players – Trey Pipkins III, Jamaree Salyer, Bradley Bozeman, Andre James and others competing for the left guard position. Then again, if the experiment to have Johnson at center implodes, Bozeman or James could land there, with the Chargers inserting someone at left guard. It's not a plug-and-play situation at the tackle spots manned by Slater, 26, and Alt, a stellar second-year pro. The issue is giving Slater a contract which matches his production. Slater's average annual salary of $4.1 million ranks 30th among left tackles. The leader is Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers, with a $27.5 million average per year on an $82.6 million pact. Andrew Thomas of the New York Giants is the left tackle with the largest contract, a five-year, $117.5 million agreement which came with a $67 million guarantee. Slater's cap hit zoomed from $5.2 million last year to $19.04 this season, which is also a motivating factor to work out a long-term deal to soften that blow.
New York Times
28-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Chargers OTA observations: No Rashawn Slater; CB competition heats up
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers held their opening organized team activities (OTAs) Tuesday at the team facility. The Chargers are scheduled for two more OTAs this week, one Wednesday and one Friday. They are scheduled for three more the following week, June 3-5. The next week, the Chargers are scheduled for their three-day minicamp from June 10-12. The Chargers will then hold three more OTAs the week after minicamp from June 16-18. Minicamp is mandatory. OTAs are voluntary. Advertisement Here are my notes, takeaways and observations from the first of nine Chargers OTAs this spring. 1. The Chargers have 91 players on their roster. Only three were not on the field for Tuesday's two-hour practice: tackle Rashawn Slater, offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III and edge rusher Bud Dupree. Slater is noteworthy because he and the Chargers are in the midst of contract extension negotiations. Slater, the Chargers' starting left tackle, is entering the final year of his deal — the fifth-year option the Chargers picked up a year ago — and is due $19.04 million. This is the first time Slater has missed an opening OTAs session in his career. These are also voluntary workouts, so no need to sound an alarm just yet. The next real deadline is the start of minicamp, and Slater could face fines if he skips that. According to the collective bargaining agreement, teams can fine players up to $15,515 for the first missed day of minicamp, $31,030 for the second missed day and $46,540 for the third missed day. In total, a player who misses all three days of minicamp could have to pay a little more than $93,000. We will cross that bridge if we get there. 2. The players who worked off to the side and did not participate in full team drills included cornerback Cam Hart, safety Elijah Molden, linebacker Daiyan Henley, cornerback Deane Leonard and receiver Luke Grimm. Hart suffered a shoulder injury in the Chargers' playoff loss to the Houston Texans last season. He said he suffered a torn labrum and had surgery in January. The Chargers have not fully cleared him yet, which is why he sat out, but he said he expects to be back by minicamp. Molden is still working his way back from offseason meniscus surgery. He expects to be ready for training camp. Henley played through a torn labrum last season and underwent surgery. Advertisement 3. Hart battled several injuries in what was otherwise a promising rookie season. He had two concussions. He nursed an ankle injury that at one point required him to wear a walking boot. His season ended in the playoffs when he suffered a labrum tear early in the second half of the loss in Houston. He stated a pretty clear goal Tuesday: '17 healthy games.' The second-year cornerback showed some tantalizing flashes last year, particularly in his physicality on the outside, and he has real upside as a fast, long press-man corner. He just has to stay on the field. And that was a point of emphasis from defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale. 'His thing is really just the durability,' Clinkscale said of Hart. Hart delivered some eye-popping hits last season. In the Houston game, he injured his shoulder while delivering a shot on a receiver underneath. 'Once you cross that line of trying to change your game to compensate for the injury, then you're just thinking too much, and football is never about thinking. It's always about reacting,' Hart said. 'Once I step on the field, I'm not thinking about no injury or what I may have nicked up last game. I'm out there to play, play full speed and give my team and my teammates everything I got. After I'm cleared, after I'm healthy, I move past it.' 4. It will be difficult to feel out the plan at cornerback until Hart is back on the field. One thing we can say for sure is that the competition will be heated. While the Chargers might be lacking blue-chip talent at this position, the room is very deep. Hart is back, and so is fellow 2024 fifth-round pick Tarheeb Still. The Chargers signed two veterans in free agency in Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste. They drafted a cornerback in the seventh round in Trikweze Bridges. And Ja'Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard are also returning. That is seven players for what could end up being six spots on the 53-man depth chart. Advertisement The Chargers rotated heavily at corner in Tuesday's practice. Some of that is related to how much safety Derwin James Jr. moves around. James played safety, nickel and dime in Tuesday's practice, the same positions he played last year. Jackson, Still, St-Juste and Taylor all played on the outside in Tuesday's practice. Still also played inside at nickel when James was not playing there. When it comes time for training camp, I think we will see a top three of Jackson, Still and Hart. When James is at safety, all three of those players can be on the field at the same time — Jackson and Hart on the outside with Still in the slot. When James moves to nickel, only two of those three players can be on the field, and there should be some competition to sort out those spots. St-Juste, Taylor, Bridges and even Leonard should get opportunities to challenge for playing time. 'Nobody has a spot,' Clinkscale said. 'We want to see who is going to earn it.' 5. Still had the best chance of the day to start making his case. In the opening period of 11-on-11, the starting offense faced the second-team defense, while the starting defense faced the second-team offense. On the first play of practice for the starting defense, backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke threw behind his intended receiver. The pass went right to Still, who could not make the catch for the interception. The ball tipped into the air, and linebacker Denzel Perryman came down with the pick. 'Too good to be true,' Still joked after practice. 6. It was a slower-tempo practice, meaning defensive backs were not allowed to challenge the ball unless they had a clear break and path. As Still put it, 'Today was really about knowing where to be, lining up, really just making sure everybody stays up.' The DBs nonetheless got their hands on some footballs. In the first period of 11-on-11, quarterback Justin Herbert threw to receiver Jalen Reagor on an over route to the left side. Reagor dropped the pass, and rookie safety Jaylen Jones picked it off. Jones had three interceptions in his senior season at Virginia Tech in 2024. Advertisement Jackson had a pass breakup on a go ball off play action from Heinicke to Brenden Rice. Bridges also intercepted Heinicke later in practice. Heinicke and receiver Mike Williams were not on the same page. Heinicke expected Williams to break off the route, but Williams continued upfield. Bridges took advantage of the miscommunication. On the next play, Taylor broke up a pass to Williams from Heinicke on an out route. 7. Rookie receiver Tre Harris showed up at a couple of different points in the practice. In the first period, he ran a smooth out route to the right side, created separation and hauled in a completion from Herbert. On the next snap, Harris won on a comeback route to the left side, beating Still. Heinicke hit Harris for the completion. Late in the practice, during a third-down period, Harris caught a pass from Heinicke on a go route down the right sideline. The throw was into traffic, and this would have been a fun play to watch in a higher-tempo practice. Rookie safety RJ Mickens made a good read from the deep half and was in position to play the ball. Harris has some ability in contested-catch situations. We will have to wait until training camp to see that come fully to life. 8. Receiver Ladd McConkey made the splash play of the day down the left sideline during the third-down period. Herbert launched a go ball on a third-and-5. McConkey tipped the ball up to himself with one hand and made the catch. Still was in coverage. Fielding a question about whether he would have made a play on the ball in a higher-tempo practice, Still smiled and said, 'No comment.' 9. On top of Slater and Pipkins not being on the field, Zion Johnson also participated sparingly. He worked at left guard during the team offensive drills against air, but he did not have any snaps in the 11-on-11 period. The initial starting offensive line set up as such: left tackle Jamaree Salyer, left guard Branson Taylor, center Bradley Bozeman, right guard Mekhi Becton, right tackle Joe Alt. Karsen Barnhart also got first-team snaps at left guard. Johnson did work on some snapping to Herbert during individual drills, as his experiment at center continues. (Photo of Rashawn Slater: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
