Chargers Training Camp is on the horizon.
The Bolts will hold more than a dozen open practices at The Bolt and will also practice twice at the University of San Diego in early August.
What are the top storylines and position battles to watch later this month?
Chargers.com will take a look at each position group leading up to training camp. The offensive lineman are the final group.
Who's on the roster?
Rashawn Slater, Joe Alt, Tyler Biadasz, Cole Strange, Trey Pipkins III, Trevor Penning, Kayode Awosika, Ben Cleveland, Branson Taylor, Josh Kaltenberger, Jake Slaughter, Travis Burke, Logan Taylor, Alex Harkey, Laekin Vakalahi, Jacob Spomer and Isaiah World
Camp Outlook
Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has echoed the term, "Competitors welcome," from the moment he arrived in Southern California.
This year's offensive line room encapsulates that sentiment in a big way.
The Chargers position room includes 17 players, with a number of big additions this offseason that helped create ample competition for camp.
The Bolts learned last season that you can never have enough offensive line depth, and now head into 2026 knowing they created a room that will have a plenty of options.
"There's a lot of options and I think there will be the separation of starters, we'll see more of that when the pads come on and the preseason games come on," Harbaugh said. "But right now, I'm looking at 14, 15 guys that can all make it, make the roster. That bodes well for us."
At the forefront of the group are Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, both of whom return this season after an offseason of rehabbing from their respective injuries.
Slater didn't play a single snap after suffering a torn patellar tendon in training camp last year while Alt played six games before an ankle injury cost him the rest of the season.
Both players participated throughout spring practices, and Chargers Offensive Coordinator Mike McDaniel couldn't be more excited about having two All-Pro caliber players at each end of the line.
"Elite tackles are unicorns in this league," McDaniel said. "When you don't have them, it takes a complete schematic commitment to overcome it, whether that's having one of your five eligibles either be in fulltime or help that position, so my NFL experience does not undervalue tackle at all."
The new additions to the top of the depth chart came via free agency with center Tyler Biadasz and right guard Cole Strange, who seemingly slot in at their respective positions in 2026.
Biadasz, a seven-year veteran in the NFL, brings his experience to the room as he takes over a big role as a leader on offense. He is coming off a season where he was rated a Top 10 player at his position by Pro Football Focus.
Strange, meanwhile, started 14 games for McDaniel in Miami last season and brings with him a knowledge of the scheme that has already proved valuable to the rest of his room during the spring.
The Bolts also made moves in free agency by bringing back Trey Pipkins III and Trevor Penning, two players who held roles on the line last season, as well as Kayode Awosika, a veteran guard who played at a number of positions during his time with the Lions.
Ben Cleveland, Branson Taylor and Josh Kaltenberger all return to the team after signing reserve/future contracts following the season and will have their opportunities to battle as depth pieces.
Not only was it a busy free agency for the Chargers, but it was also a big draft for the offensive trenches.
The team drafted four players to the room starting with second-round pick Jake Slaughter, the standout Florida center that has transitioned to guard throughout the spring.
It continued on Day 3 of the draft with tackle Travis Burke (fourth round), guard Logan Taylor (sixth round) and guard Alex Harkey (sixth round), all of whom look to make their mark in their first training camp and battle for a roster spot.
Rounding out the unit is Laekin Vakalahi as well as undrafted free agents Jacob Spomer and Isaiah World.
The Chargers set out to build a highly competitive offensive line room after getting hit with adversity last season — and they accomplished just that heading into training camp.
"What we've created is a highly competitive room that we feel confident we're going to have not just five starters that you can win football games with and be very happy about, but two, three, four extra guys that will probably have to see the field during the season based on the natural course of the rigors of the NFL," McDaniel said. "Really pumped about where we're at."
Player to Watch: Tyler Biadasz
The Chargers knew they had to find a starting center heading into free agency.
Now with Biadasz manning the middle, the Bolts have an experienced veteran that is ready to set the tone for the rest of the interior.
"It was a position we knew we could improve the Chargers flat out," McDaniel said in the spring. "Within that, he's a player that we think specifically with the nuances and tools we give the center in both run and pass that are a little unique, we think his skillset really plays with what we like to do.
"We think he's a better athlete than maybe people give him credit for paired with an anchor in protection that protects the A-gaps and protects Justin," McDaniel added.
The focus turns to getting the comfort and reps in along with Justin Herbert.
With the center being so connected with the quarterback, the pair will now set out to get everything down as camp progresses.
"It's just getting snaps with him," Herbert said about the 28-year-old Biadasz. "I think we did a pretty good job with that the first couple of weeks, especially before we even showed up for OTAs. Just getting that timing down, he's just a pro.
"I could tell immediately as soon as he snapped the first ball that there was not going to be any issues. We got along really quickly," Herbert added. "Very smart, has a really good feel for that offensive line room and he's going to be a great leader for that room."
With Slater and Alt back at tackle, don't sleep on how great of an impact Biadasz could have as a steadying presence in the middle of the offensive line.
"To me when we evaluated him, it's a player that if we get his best tape, it's in front of him because of what we ask the center position to do," McDaniel said. "Particularly how effective he is in space and blocking people."
Key Question: Who starts at left guard in Week 1?
We'll go with the obvious one here, as this is arguably the most talked about starting battle on the roster.
The Chargers are projected to line up Slater and Alt at left and right tackle, respectively, with Biadasz at center and Strange at right guard.
That leaves one starting spot at left guard, which should see a ramp up period over the next couple of weeks.
"Left guard specifically, very good competition at that position for a starting job," Harbaugh said. "We are talking about left guard so when the pads come on, that will be decided."
That position saw a rotation during the spring with Awosika and Slaughter getting in the mix at different points. Harbaugh also noted last month that Penning, who worked his way back from an injury early in the spring, is also a candidate to start there.
But despite the rotation and reps there so far, McDaniel and the team emphasized that the true competition will kick off when the pads come on soon.
"I think you're very, very hesitant to start creating job competition scenarios before guys have actually blocked people," McDaniel said last month. "In the offseason by and large, guys learn how to fit and where to apply pressure, where to target, but the idea of blocking people for three or four seconds, that's more of a pad, training camp thing."
McDaniel later added: "It would probably be good to assess a receiver after a pass was thrown to him, not before that. It's probably good to assess the lineman after we block people, not before that. That's where I'm at."
Awosika played in 50 career games with 11 starts with the Lions before joining the Chargers in free agency, while Slaughter, a second-round pick, is in the midst of his transition from center to guard.
Meanwhile, Penning re-signed with the Bolts in free agency after being acquired at the 2025 trade deadline.
There will be ample opportunities during practices and the preseason games for each to show what they're capable of, so it will be a major storyline to watch and see who fills out the starting five come Week 1.
"Everyone is competing," Chargers offensive line coach Butch Barry said. "It's awesome, we're rolling different guys.
He added: "Like Coach [Harbaugh] says, all competitors are welcome."
