Los Angeles Chargers former first-round pick Joe Alt will move to left tackle in the wake of Rashawn Slater's season-ending knee injury, head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters on Friday.
Harbaugh was straightforward with his team's offensive line plans, eschewing ambiguity that many coaches adopt following season-altering injuries. Alt will move from right tackle to left, and Trey Pipkins will move into the RT role.
"We know that our best five, right now, is Joe Alt, Zion (Johnson), Brad (Bozeman), projected Mekhi Becton and then Trey Pipkins," he said. "That's what we'll start [with]. Nothing set in stone, but that's where we're at."
Harbaugh said the loss of Slater, a top-10 offensive tackle whom the club just inked to a massive extension, was a big hit.
"It's like a gut punch right to the solar plexus," he said. "It takes the wind out of ya. You can't even talk too much. You don't really have the words or able to think about anything else. I just feel bad for Rashawn. I know how much he's put into it, how much he's trained, and I also know how he'll attack the rehab and train, and he'll be back. Not this season, but I know he'll be back."
Alt moving to left tackle was the logical first move. The 2024 first-round pick played on the left side at Notre Dame before moving to the right side during his rookie campaign. Pipkins has started 42 games at offensive tackle during his career. He shifted to guard for 15 starts in 2024 but was expected to be a backup swing lineman this season. Slater's injury thrusts him back into a starter's role.
The preseason injury is a big blow, but Harbaugh is confident his club can overcome the loss.
"I know my team. I know they're gonna step up," he said. "I don't go with the cliché. It would be embarrassing to tell them 'next man up' or that we all have to step up for [each other] even more when you have a great player that is lost for the season. I wouldn't embarrass them with telling them that because I know they're gonna do it."
