If it were solely up to Rashawn Slater, he would be getting every rep in practice right now.

But since the Chargers left tackle is returning from a serious knee injury, the two-time Pro Bowler knows he needs to take a cautious approach at times in order to be ready for Week 1.

"It's definitely a struggle sometimes. Just want to be out there for the team," Slater said Tuesday. "I hate missing out, but one of the really good things about our [medical] staff is they're so thoughtful and they understand in some ways they need to protect players from themselves a little bit

"It's difficult, but at the same time, when you compare it to what's to come, it's not so difficult of a decision," Slater added.

To recap, Slater suffered a torn patellar tendon on August 7 of training camp in 2025, an injury that caused him to miss the entire season.

He participated in the Bolts offseason program and was cleared for training camp, although he did take some teams reps off here and there in the first week of camp.

Slater said Tuesday that he had a "little" flare up in his knee last week in San Diego, prompting a consultation with the medical staff.

He was then out there Wednesday and Thursday but has missed the past four practices, although the 27-year-old added Tuesday that he's not worried about where he's at right now.

"Nothing crazy, just being thoughtful and learning," Slater said. "I mean, you have a surgery like that, the rehab went great but things can still happen and things are different. Really, we're just learning.

"This is my first time playing football in a year, so there's going to be things that are different. We have to be mindful about them," Slater added. "But again, nothing that's concerning, just got to keep going, keep being thoughtful. Getting ready for what matters."

Slater later summed up the approach the Bolts are taking in a plain and simple manner.

"We're not putting you in Bubble Wrap, but we also need to respect the fact this is a significant thing to come back from," Slater said.

As far as Slater's return to the field, he said he's feeling great.

And when asked if his knee feels different from before the injury, Slater admitted it does ... but in a good way.

"It does feel different, it feels better, honestly," Slater said. "I can get in my stance with no pain ... it feels really good, really positive when I'm moving.

"It's strong, it's stable. Obviously, when you do a procedure, there's some things that changed slightly. There's more tissue in the knee," Slater added. "The repair is really strong, so because of that there's extra tissue and stuff. Does that change the mechanics? Not that I notice. Just taking it day by day. It's going well."

As Slater works toward being ready for the regular season, he's also getting adjusted to Mike McDaniel's new offensive scheme and a new offensive line coach in Butch Barry.

"Coach Barry, I think he's a great coach. I think a lot of our beliefs about O-Line play are very similar. He's a big fan of a lot of the techniques I have always pride myself on," Slater said. "It's fun to be able to play for him and learn from him. I think we have some really fun stuff. It feels good to lean on the stuff that I feel most comfortable doing, too."

He later added of McDaniel: "He gets a lot of credit for his scheme ... but just like Butch, he's more about how you do things than what you're doing. All that matters of course, but at the end of the day, he sees it as the mentality and approach you have to take to practice every day is what's most important. I like that a lot."

And, a dozen practices into camp, there is still a left guard battle raging on next to Slater's spot at left tackle.

While Slater said he might usually prefer to get ample reps next to the left guard, the fact that everyone is in a new system changes that mindset a bit.

"We're all new to this scheme, per se, so some of the techniques and stuff, we're all learning together," Slater said. "I think that helps a little bit because we're all starting off on the same page."

When healthy, Slater has been among the NFL's best players at his posiiton.

That was true in 2024 when he posted an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 91.1, a mark that ranked second among all offensive tackles.

He also posted a 90.4 pass-blocking grade, which ranked third among tackles. And his 82.8 run-blocking grade ranked fifth among players in his position group.

And if we look at the 2021, 2023 and 2024 seasons — when Slater has played at least 15 games — he's been an elite player.

His overall PFF grade in those three seasons is 89.6, which ranks 20^th among all players with at least 2,400 snaps. That mark is seventh among all offensive linemen and is fifth among tackles.

So, while it may be frustrating for Slater to miss some practice time now, the whole goal is for him to be ready to roll for Week 1 against the Cardinals when he can resume his place among the NFL's best left tackles.

"Just controlling what I can control, doing everything I can and staying locked in mentally and physically, too," Slater said. "I know it's coming and when that happens, we're not going to be worried about this. I just keep that in mind and trust the process."

He later added: "I feel like the real celebration is going to be when I'm out there playing again on Sundays."

For more info on camp, check out the Chargers Training Camp Hub.