Trevor Penning woke up Tuesday morning in New Orleans not expecting to be dealt at the trade deadline.
A little more than 24 hours later, the Chargers newest offensive lineman was out on the practice field at The Bolt wearing a powder blue jersey.
"A lot of stuff going on in a very short amount of time. I'm excited to be here," Penning said. "It's the NFL, it's how it works, it's a business. But I'm excited to be here, ready to get to work."
Penning was acquired on trade deadline day in a deal with the Saints in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Penning has played both tackle and guard in his career but Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday that the Bolts were going to try the 2022 first-round pick at tackle.
"Excited to get him today into the fold. I feel like we got good players, enough good tough which we liked about him," Harbaugh said. "[He] finishes, played a lot of football, I think he's kind of what we like.
"Fits in great with the room. Love the versatility but also the ability to play tackle," Harbaugh added. "That's what the week of practice will be for, to figure out exactly where Trevor fits in best."
Sure enough, Penning said that he spent Wednesday's session working at both left and right tackle.
But he added that he'll slot in anywhere his new team needs in the upcoming playoff chase.
"I'm excited to play anywhere they need me. I think I have the versatility," Penning said. "Brought in to play wherever I need."
He later added: "Last year I played right tackle all 17 games, so probably a little more comfortable there than left tackle. But I played left guard this year. We'll see, it's my first day out here trying tackle again, so I'll keep progressing and working on it."
How did Penning adapt to going from left tackle to right tackle to left guard?
"It's definitely challenging. It's like writing with your left hand when you're right handed. Just takes time, a lot of work on it," Penning said. "Coming in from college, I only played left tackle so when I played right tackle, it was definitely a little interesting at first.
"It was hard to adapt at first, but you settle in, get a rhythm down, figure out how to play with it. You do different things at each side," Penning added. "But now that I have that experience, being able to go back and forth you kind of know what to expect. I think it's helped me improve my game and be versatile."
Penning joins an offensive line group that has been hit hard by injuries. Both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are out for the season while Bobby Hart didn't practice on Wednesday.
Trey Pipkins III, Austin Deculus and Jamaree Salyer — all candidates to now play tackle — have also been banged up at various points of the season.
The newcomer made a strong impression Wednesday after arriving in Southern California around 8:30 a.m., especially on quarterback Justin Herbert.
"Yeah, saw him out there today. Just getting the basics down of getting our cadences and getting adjusted to our play calls and things like that," Herbert said after practice. "Obviously, I've known of him, big fan and a lot of respect for his game.
"I think it's a cool opportunity, I'm sure he'll pick up the offense very quickly," Herbert added. "I've heard he's a great locker room guy, teammate. Definitely excited about that one."
And if one thing became clear Wednesday, is was that Harbaugh and Penning probably view football in the same lens.
Harbaugh mentioned Penning's toughness as a key trait the Chargers liked, and Penning said after practice that he envisions fitting right into a Harbaugh-led team.
"I've known about him growing up. I knew all about him, great guy," Penning said of Harbaugh. "I met him for the first time today, great guy. I think my personality, my traits that I have off the field, as well as on the field, really match the culture here. I'm excited to be here."
Penning later went into detail about what he plans on bringing to the Bolts.
"Tough, physical player on the field. Play to the whistle, play hard. Off the field, I just love football," Penning said. "I love football, I think that's what really I've gotten my four, five hours I've been here. I've learned that the culture here is all about winning, all about football."
With eight games left to play, the Chargers hope Penning can give them a boost up front as the 6-3 Bolts try to stay in a playoff spot the rest of the way.
Penning said he's ready to help in any way he can.
"It's pretty crazy overnight. You get five more wins on there, so it's pretty crazy," Penning said of leaving the 1-8 Saints. "But I'm excited to be here, excited to be a part of this culture."
