Chargers place center Tyler Biadasz on season-ending injured reserve

Elliott Teaford, The Orange County Register on Aug 23, 2026

Published in Football

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers made official Sunday what was anticipated ever since Tyler Biadasz went down with an ACL injury during a joint practice last Tuesday with the San Francisco 49ers. The Chargers placed the Pro Bowl center on injured reserve, ending his first season with the team before it could begin.

Coach Jim Harbaugh on Saturday named rookie Jake Slaughter the starter in place of Biadasz, who signed a three-season deal worth $30 million in March, after the Washington Commanders released him because of financial concerns. Biadasz was a Pro Bowl pick in 2022 while with the Dallas Cowboys.

Slaughter was the Chargers’ second-round pick from the University of Florida in April. He also was locked in a battle for the starting left guard position with the idea that he could serve as Biadasz’s backup at center. Kayode Awosika is the leading candidate to be the starting left guard, Harbaugh said Saturday.

“It’s a familiar thing,” Slaughter said last week of settling back into the center position. “It’s what I did in college. But there’s a lot to work on still. It’s a completely different offense (from Florida). Everything we do is fast(-paced tempo). There’s no instance in this offense where playing slow benefits you.”

The starting offensive line might look for the season-opening game Sept. 13 against the Arizona Cardinals very much like it did during Sunday’s practice. Rashawn Slater was at left tackle, Awosika was at left guard, Slaughter was at center, Cole Strange was at right guard and Joe Alt was at right tackle.

Biadasz, 28, was a key part of the Chargers’ overhaul of the interior of their offensive line during the offseason. In addition to signing Biadasz, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz also signed Awosika, who was with the Detroit Lions, and Strange, who was with the Miami Dolphins.

Slater and Alt, two past Pro Bowl selections, were cleared to participate fully in training camp after suffering season-ending knee and ankle injuries, respectively, last year. They were expected to bookend the three free-agent signees, providing quarterback Justin Herbert with enhanced protection.

Herbert was sacked a career-high 54 times during the 2025 season, as the Chargers scrambled to replace Slater, who was hurt during training camp, and Alt, who was injured in Week 4 and then again in Week 9. Somehow, some way, Herbert directed the Chargers to an 11-win season.

However, it all unraveled during the Chargers’ 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots in an AFC wild-card game. Herbert was sacked six times, hit repeatedly and never got the Chargers’ offensive moving, which led to the firing of Greg Roman as offensive coordinator and the hiring of Mike McDaniel.

Center has been a difficult position for the Chargers to fill since Corey Linsley’s abrupt retirement because of a health issue early in the 2023 season. Will Clapp took over for Linsley initially, but the Chargers went 5-12, and Coach Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco were fired before season’s end.

Bradley Bozeman then signed with the Chargers during the first offseason for Harbaugh and Hortiz. Bozeman started 33 of 34 regular season games for the Chargers, but the results weren’t up to the lofty standards set by Linsley, a Pro Bowl pick in 2021, his first season with the team.

Now, the job belongs to Slaughter.

Extra points

In a corresponding roster move, the Chargers signed wide receiver Gary Jennings, a fourth-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. … Slater, Trey Pipkins III and rookie Travis Burke rotated at left tackle, part of the unit that blocked for Herbert during 11-on-11 drills. Slater practiced for the second consecutive day after sitting out eight straight practices because of a flare-up in his injured left knee. … Rookie wide receiver Brenen Thompson and linebacker Denzel Perryman wore yellow, no-contact jerseys during the practice. … Safety RJ Mickens intercepted Trey Lance’s pass during 7-on-7 drills, one of many defensive highlights.

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