Chargers Encounter An Early-Season Test With Their Front Line Decimated

The Los Angeles Chargers are first in the AFC West and last among teams trying to keep their offensive line intact.

The L.A. story before facing the visiting Washington Commanders on Sunday is this: a Chargers squad built for a playoff sprint is running in place when it comes to opening rushing lanes and keeping quarterback Justin Herbert clean.

The Chargers (3-1) are still stinging from letting New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, in his NFL debut, erase that bagel under L.A.’s loss column despite N.Y. entering Sunday’s game winless.

Surprisingly, Dart looked cool and confident against one of the league’s most dynamic defenses. Not surprisingly, Herbert was punched more than a Manhattan commuter’s subway ticket when setting up shop behind a shoddy line.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said it best when stating that Herbert was, “taking too many hits.”

Herbert, who was getting some early MVP chatter after opening the season with three wins over AFC West rivals, was ordinary on Sunday. He completed 23 of 41 passes for 203 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

The offensive line allowed Herbert to get hit 12 times, which is only two less than what he absorbed the previous week against the Denver Broncos.

“It’s very concerning,’’ Harbaugh said in his post-game remarks. ”We’ll go back and look as we’ve gotta get better. We got to put him in a better position. Don’t think he’s been in a good position.”

Injuries, of course, have played a significant role in knee-capping what Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and Harbaugh were bent on addressing in the offseason.

Their top goal was upgrading a line which was front-and-center (not in a good way) in last season’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans.

Losing All-Pro left tackle Rayshawn Slater was the haymaker heard around the training-camp world. It was devastating in itself, considering Slater’s keen protection of Herbert’s blindside.

But when Slater’s knee revolted, the Chargers embraced a seamless transition by right tackle Joe Alt, who was coming off a brilliant rookie season. Alt made the switch with panache, but then he was felled on Sunday with a high ankle sprain which will keep him in street clothes for weeks.

His absence was compounded by right guard Mekhi Becton not being available with a concussion. His status remains unclear.

So Herbert was asked to rally the Bolts while playing behind a five-man front which included two backups and a third-string option at left tackle.

The Chargers burned loads of cash on the offensive line and their return as been dismal.

Slater in the offseason signed his four-year, $114 million extension, with $92 million guaranteed, to become the NFL’s highest-paid lineman.

Becton, fresh from being fitted for a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles, came west on a two-year, $20 million deal.

The Chargers also tried to switch Zion Johnson, a disappointing first-round pick, from guard to center after Bradley Bozeman was exposed in the playoff defeat.

That failed spectacularly, with Bozeman proving to be a better option, even after the Chargers acquired free-agent Andre James from the Las Vegas Raiders. James’ tab was a three-year, $24 million contract, with $15.6 million guaranteed.

But lately it’s been snake eyes for the Chargers when considering the big boys up front. It’s especially perplexing for Hortiz and Harbaugh, as their run-first mentality and physical play as forged a new persona for L.A.

Them selecting exciting running back Omarion Hampton in the first round, one year after taking Alt at No. 5 overall, solidified their belief of forging an identity around a running game and toughness.

Hortiz is now scouring the landscape for offensive line help and Harbaugh, who’s making $16 million a year, is tinkering with a run-first offense which can’t rely on a stout front.

Then again, Harbaugh might be asking Herbert to throw more behind a left tackle in Austin Deculus, a name that even the most devoted Bolts fan would have trouble recognizing.

Maybe the Chargers get a boost and Becton returns soon.

Possibly Alt’s ankle rebounds quickly.

But the probability is the Chargers’ offensive line will be in state of flux for the foreseeable future, as L.A. tries to keep pace in the demanding AFC West.