ClutchPoints
The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off an embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday night. The Chargers’ offense looked out of sync for the entire contest, and Justin Herbert was running for his life. Not having his two star tackles protecting him proved to be very costly.
Left tackle Rashawn Slater did not play this season after tearing his ACL during training camp. It was only downhill from there. Joe Alt injured his tackle twice during the course of the 2025 season, and the second time was enough for him to miss the remainder of the year. Alt moved from right tackle to left tackle in place of Slater. After Alt went down, the Chargers were down to their 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th tackles: Trey Pipkins III, Austin Deculus, Jamaree Salyer, and Bobby Hart. The team even traded for former first-rounder Trevor Penning; however, he was unable to make an impact.
After the Wild Card loss to the Patriots, Joe Alt was asked by the media (via Daniel Popper) about his ankle injury this season and set a goal for next season.
Joe Alt did not want to go into the specifics of his ankle injury, but when asked if there was a fracture and ligament damage, he said, “Everything you could do to an ankle, I did, pretty much.”
Alt added: “The goal is to have it not affect me at all” heading into 2026.
Herbert and the Chargers desperately need Alt and Slater back healthy for the 2026-27 season. Herbert’s career may depend on it, as more years of miserable play in the playoffs are difficult to overcome.
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