Official 2026 Chargers Roster Discussion | Roster Build | Free Agency

[Bolt4Knob]

If the $ are right, I’d bring back Salyer and Pipkins as backups, but I suspect both think they are starters and am not sure they’d want to stay here behind 2 starters who if healthy would not allow them a single snap.

I think one of them might get starter money - you are right. ; Or at least more than the Bolts might pay. But good depth at OT might be worth 6m

[jaguarmanftype]

Do you honestly think that any question a beat writer who never played a snap of football at even the high school level is going to make the coaches suddenly think, damn, why didn’t we think about this? Salyer was also “dealing with something” earlier in the year and was an emergency option rather than a legitimate option to start until much later in the season.

Anyway, enough about Popper.

Given that the coaches have to address the questions asked, even if to avoid answering them, they still have to process and give their answers some thought. Whether it ultimately impacts their decisions or just remains somewhere in their subconscious, no one knows but them. I'll say this -- Popper has been an annoyance regarding A-gap pressure coming from free rushers for the past several games, and Harbaugh did answer him forthrightly in one of the more recent press conferences that it would be a point of emphasis to address leading up to the Cowboys game. Whether Popper nudged them or not, the play from IOL and Bozeman seemed more cohesive and better put-together in the Cowboys game. Still, Bozeman has no business being a C in this league, because other than not having the ideal talent traits, he also doesn't have it between the ears to play the position. A smart C with a fast processor can overcome physical limitations, but Bozeman doesn't have the needed smarts to play anything other than a guard role. It's still somewhat unfathomable to me that our coaches don't realize this.

As it regards to Salyer, it's obvious they never had any plans for him to play at LT or any tackle position primarily due to his deficiencies in run blocking. While Becton was going out of games, they had Salyer go in for him at G while he was also "dealing with something" even then. During preseason, Salyer played most of the snaps as a G, and was even listed as such going into the season. They clearly had him pegged as a backup G for them, and had no other plans for him. If they wanted him to be an LT, they wouldn't have tried Pipkins as the first option at LT early on or traded for Deculus and Penning later on and promptly started them at LT over him if they had considered Salyer as a suitable emergency replacement for Joe Alt.

[jaguarmanftype]

I 100% agree with you, we were all saying the same. I do not find offense with Popper trying to do his job. I would bet Jim doesn’t either.

Now I’m left wondering if it was that Deculus was so bad or the coaching approach was so wrong, we only have one game with him starting since then and he held up quite ok? Too many variables to ever know ….

We don't know much about Deculus just yet to make any decision on him. Salyer has consistently been rated in the high 70s and 80s as a pass blocker for multiple games this season, while Deculus only did well for a stretch in game during essentially relief time. We'd need to see more from him to make any sort of judgment. The silver lining is that Devlin can develop tackles so Deculus and even Penning could surprise more with additional development time and game snaps as tackles, be it the "heavy" kind or just in a competent backup role.

[Boltnut]

As it regards to Salyer, it's obvious they never had any plans for him to play at LT or any tackle position primarily due to his deficiencies in run blocking. While Becton was going out of games, they had Salyer go in for him at G while he was also "dealing with something" even then. During preseason, Salyer played most of the snaps as a G, and was even listed as such going into the season. They clearly had him pegged as a backup G for them, and had no other plans for him. If they wanted him to be an LT, they wouldn't have tried Pipkins as the first option at LT early on or traded for Deculus and Penning later on and promptly started them at LT over him if they had considered Salyer as a suitable emergency replacement for Joe Alt.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

1) Salyer is 6'3" and 330 lbs. Short fat guys play guard in the NFL.
2) He wasn't drafted until the 6th round and was widely projected @OG.
3) He's a below-average run blocker.
4) He was a holdover from the previous GM.
5) He has spent most of his NFL career practicing/playing OG.
6) Roman requires his OT's to do much more than just pass block. Even Pipkins is not a Roman fit. It is why Joe Alt got drafted.

[jaguarmanftype]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

1) Salyer is 6'3" and 330 lbs. Short fat guys play guard in the NFL.
2) He wasn't drafted until the 6th round and was widely projected @OG.
3) He's a below-average run blocker.
4) He was a holdover from the previous GM.
5) He has spent most of his NFL career practicing/playing OG.
6) Roman requires his OT's to do much more than just pass block. Even Pipkins is not a Roman fit. It is why Joe Alt got drafted.

It's why I doubt that if this coaching staff was in the building in 2021 that they would have drafted Slater to be their starting LT, at least not with input from Devlin and Roman. He's not exactly ideal in size for them to draft high even if his college tape showed elite ability as a tackle. I remember a lot of team scouts were on record projecting him to be a G, and I wouldn't be surprised if Devlin would have viewed Slater in that mold as well.

[Bolt4Knob]

It's why I doubt that if this coaching staff was in the building in 2021 that they would have drafted Slater to be their starting LT, at least not with input from Devlin and Roman. He's not exactly ideal in size for them to draft high even if his college tape showed elite ability as a tackle. I remember a lot of team scouts were on record projecting him to be a G, and I wouldn't be surprised if Devlin would have viewed Slater in that mold as well.

I agree that Hortiz and this staff probably would not have viewed Salyer as an OT
But, at this point in his career, he has shown he can play better OT than OG. So if a team signs him, and they will, unless different coaching, probably smart to keep Salyer as a swing OT.

[Boltnut]

It's why I doubt that if this coaching staff was in the building in 2021 that they would have drafted Slater to be their starting LT, at least not with input from Devlin and Roman. He's not exactly ideal in size for them to draft high even if his college tape showed elite ability as a tackle. I remember a lot of team scouts were on record projecting him to be a G, and I wouldn't be surprised if Devlin would have viewed Slater in that mold as well.

Oh, no doubt. Hortiz would not have drafted Salyer. He wouldn't have drafted Pipkins, either.

[Boltnut]

It's hard to believe that Hortiz has nearly turned over the whole roster in 2 years.
We've gone from finesse to bully in 2 short years.

[jaguarmanftype]

I agree that Hortiz and this staff probably would not have viewed Salyer as an OT
But, at this point in his career, he has shown he can play better OT than OG. So if a team signs him, and they will, unless different coaching, probably smart to keep Salyer as a swing OT.

I meant Rashawn, not Salyer in that post, haha.

[Bolt4Knob]

Oh, no doubt. Hortiz would not have drafted Salyer. He wouldn't have drafted Pipkins, either.

Hortiz was involved with drafting Tyler Linderbaum though

(at least today, one can dream!)

[jaguarmanftype]

It's hard to believe that Hortiz has nearly turned over the whole roster in 2 years.
We've gone from finesse to bully in 2 short years.

Hopefully, the late round draft success continues. AJ Smith got lazy and full of himself after the first few years of great drafts, and our roster aged not so gracefully.

[Bolt4Knob]

I meant Rashawn, not Salyer in that post, haha.

I do wonder about Slater. They might have viewed him as an OT. He was always ranked pretty highly that year - behind Sewell, as an OT