Chargers Need Rashawn Slater To Return To Form In 2026

Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater is chomping at the bit to return to the field after missing the entire 2025 season following a torn patellar tendon.

Despite not playing last season, the Chargers offensive tackle was ranked No. 63 on Pro Football Network’s top 100 players list.

“The entry of Rashawn Slater onto this list comes with the asterisk that he missed the entire 2025 season with a torn patellar tendon. He’ll need to prove he can come back at full strength this year after suffering that serious injury, but at 27 years old, he should be better suited to coming back than other older linemen coming off major injuries,” PFN contributor Jacob Infante wrote.

“What Slater was able to do before the injury certainly earns him a spot on this list. He finished second among all NFL left tackles with an 85.3 PFN OL Impact Score in 2024, and he’s made two Pro Bowl appearances in four healthy seasons. He’s proven to be a high-level offensive tackle and a key cog of the Chargers’ offense; fans saw what that offensive line looked like without him last season.”

Slater being so high on this list is a testament to the work he put in during the first four years of his career. When he signed his extension with the Chargers, Slater became the highest-paid offensive tackle in league history. Now he’s on the first year of that deal that will pay him $114 million over the next four seasons.

It’s time for Slater to prove the Chargers right for paying him that large sum of money. His play should be crucial to help the Chargers get back to the playoffs and hopefully further, if he can maintain this high level of play.

If the Chargers made the playoffs after not having Slater for an entire season, imagine how far they will go with him back in the fold, playing at the level of an All-Pro offensive lineman.