The Los Angeles Chargers, maybe more than any team in the league, want to be led by a stout offensive line. That is the philosophy of head coach Jim Harbaugh.
But that has been difficult this season. After losing left tackle Rashawn Slater to a season-ending injury in camp, the team slid Joe Alt over to the left side. In Week 4 against the Giants, he injured his ankle and has been out since. Mekhi Becton has been in and out of the lineup with injuries.
Trey Pipkins, the team's rotational tackle, has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Reserve lineman Jamaree Salyer is listed as questionable. In other words, it's a mess.
This year's trade deadline is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4 and it will be a strong talking point between now and then that the Chargers should look into adding help for that group.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN has an interesting idea, that would include the Chargers taking a shot on a former first-round pick.
Chargers get: OT/G Evan Neal, 2028 seventh-round pick
Giants get: 2028 sixth-round pick
The Chargers get Evan Neal here for next to nothing. Though Neal has been a disappointment in his three seasons with the Giants, he was a first-round talent not that long ago. If he could be had for this kind of price, it would be worth taking a shot. Here was Barnwell's analysis:
"Let's move one more disappointing first-round pick off the Giants' roster. Neal was a massive miss for Joe Schoen with the seventh pick of the 2022 draft. After struggling to stay healthy or play well during his first two years in the league, Neal lost his right tackle job to Jermaine Eluemunor and spent the first half of 2024 on the bench. The Giants moved Neal to guard this offseason, but after an unimpressive summer, he hasn't been active for a single game in 2025.
Neal is owed only $666,667 over the remainder of the season, so he wouldn't be an expensive option for a team that needs a backup offensive lineman, most likely at tackle. We're not that far removed from Neal looking like a potential franchise tackle at Alabama, and there should be teams with optimistic scouting reports on him from his college days willing to take something close to a free look at the 25-year-old.
Yes, 2028 picks might feel free right now, and if there's any team desperate for another option at tackle, it's the Chargers. Rashawn Slater is out for the year with a knee injury, Joe Alt is out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain, and swing tackle Trey Pipkins III missed the win over the Dolphins with a knee injury. Jamaree Salyer, whom the Jim Harbaugh administration seems to prefer at guard, was also sidelined for the Dolphins game.
In their win, the Chargers started Austin Deculus at left tackle and Bobby Hart at right tackle. Deculus started one game in three years with the Texans, who were desperate for linemen and still didn't get him in the lineup, while Hart hadn't played an offensive snap in an NFL game since 2022 before lining up and playing every single down for the Chargers on Sunday. This wasn't the plan for the Chargers, but it's tough to feel like they have enough protecting Justin Herbert.
Neal is leaving New York after the year, so this would be a brief chance at auditioning for the Chargers -- and 30 other teams -- in advance of free agency in 2026."
All good and valid points from Barnwell. The Chargers will get Alt back at some point, but Slater is done for the season. If Pipkins is dealing with injuries, bringing in a guy like Neal is a good option, as he could be a better option in relief than guys like Austin Deculus and Bobby Hart.
More Chargers Content
Los Angeles Chargers' Week 7 X-factor player needs to lead the charge up front
Los Angeles Chargers connected to three huge trades ahead of deadline
Los Angeles Chargers bring back intriguing preseason standout
Huge pass from Justin Herbert to Ladd McConkey bumps L.A. Chargers up in power rankings
Failed Chargers head coach gets another chance to lead a team