HEADLINES

Jamaree Salyer

Chargers’ Trey Pipkins In Line To Start At RG?

June 9th, 2024 at 12:23pm CST by Rory Parks

The Chargers’ decision to select Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt with the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft naturally displaced Trey Pipkins, who has served as the club’s primary RT over the past two seasons. The Bolts have no intention of moving Pro Bowl LT Rashawn Slater from the blind side, so with Alt now in the mix and possessing Pro Bowl upside of his own, Pipkins has been shunted to the interior of the line.

Still, head coach Jim Harbaugh recently called Pipkins one of his club’s five best O-linemen, thereby implying that the 27-year-old blocker would remain in the starting lineup. That appears to be the case, with Daniel Popper of The Athletic noting that, after the Chargers rotated the right side of their first-team OL during the first two open OTAs, Los Angeles had Alt taking all of the first-team RT reps during the latest open OTA, with Pipkins handling all of the first-team RG reps (subscription required).

Assuming that setup holds, the domino effect of the Alt selection would force 2022 sixth-rounder Jamaree Salyer — who started 14 games at LT in place of the injured Slater in 2022 and who settled in as the Chargers’ starting RG last season — to the bench. And that is likely an acceptable outcome for Los Angeles, as Salyer did not fare particularly well on the interior of the line after impressing on the outside as a rookie. In 2023, Salyer earned a mediocre 54.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, placing him as the 56th-best guard out of 79 qualifiers.

Pipkins did not fare much better as a right tackle than Salyer did as a right guard, with PFF ranking the former as the 50th-best OT out of 81 qualified players (though he did grade out as an above-average performer in terms of pass blocking). That was actually an improvement over his 2022 showing, at the end of which he was rewarded with a three-year, $21.75MM deal (to be fair, he did battle an MCL sprain throughout the 2022 season).

That contract was authorized by the Chargers’ prior regime, but Harbaugh clearly thinks highly of Pipkins, and it is certainly possible that his play improves by shifting to the interior. While he is under club control through 2025, he is not guaranteed any more money past the upcoming campaign, so a strong effort in 2024 could at least position him well to remain on the club and collect the $6.75MM base salary he is due in 2025, or even to land a new contract.

Chargers Slotting Joe Alt At Right Tackle; Trey Pipkins In Play For Guard Job

May 3rd, 2024 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Alt only played left tackle at Notre Dame, but the Chargers have a Pro Bowler protecting Justin Herbert‘s blind side. They are not moving Rashawn Slater, with SI.com’s Albert Breer indicating the No. 5 overall pick is set to compete for the team’s right tackle job.

All 33 of Alt’s Fighting Irish starts came at left tackle, and his father — John, a 1984 Chiefs first-round pick — operated as a left tackle for 13 NFL seasons. Alt is set to move to the spot Trey Pipkins has manned for the past two seasons. The Chargers have Pipkins tied to a three-year, $21.75MM deal; his $6.25MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed.

Jim Harbaugh called Pipkins “one of our best five” linemen and expects the multiyear starter to still have a place along the Bolts’ starting offensive front. This would appear to challenge incumbent right guard Jamaree Salyer, who slid from Slater left tackle replacement to starting guard in Brandon Staley‘s final season. Pipkins “could very well” move to right guard this offseason, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

“I think he’s one of our five best right now, and that’s not going to change,” Harbaugh said of Pipkins. “I’ve been extremely impressed with Trey, and he also has that kind of freaky athleticism and also building the strength and power to match that athleticism. I would predict that there’s a spot in the starting five for Trey Pipkins.”

A 2019 third-round pick out of Division II Sioux Falls, Pipkins has started 41 games — including 31 over the past two seasons. The Chargers had not seen much right tackle stability in the years before Pipkins won the job in 2022. Pro Football Focus graded Pipkins 50th among tackles last season, though moving to guard at this stage of his career would figure to be a challenge. Pipkins, 27, has never played a snap at guard in five pro seasons.

Georgia’s starting left tackle during the first of its back-to-back national championship seasons (2021), Salyer filled in for an injured Slater for much of the 2022 season. The sixth-round pick did not fare especially well upon moving inside last year, grading as one of PFF’s worst run-blocking guards. Jordan McFadden could also be an option at right guard, per Popper. The Chargers chose McFadden in the 2023 fifth round. McFadden started two games as a rookie.

With Harbaugh adding he would “play five tackles” if he could, the Bolts certainly seem prepared to gauge Pipkins’ value as a guard. The Chargers are almost definitely set to ask two of their top three tackles — Alt and Pipkins — to switch positions, as Slater stays put. With Alt the Chargers’ highest-drafted O-lineman since Russ Washington in 1968 and the team having Pipkins on a $7.25MM-per-year contract, this will be a situation to monitor ahead of Harbaugh’s first season back in the NFL.

Chargers To Cut G Matt Feiler

March 14th, 2023 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hours after reaching an agreement to bring back right tackle Trey Pipkins, the Chargers will lose one of their starting offensive linemen. They are releasing guard Matt Feiler, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This previously rumored move will create $6.5MM in cap space for the Bolts, who are prepared to staff this position internally. Jamaree Salyer, who filled in for Rashawn Slater for most of 2022 at left tackle, is expected to step in at Feiler’s left guard gig, Daniel Popper of The Athletic tweets.

The Chargers made a push to upgrade their O-line around Justin Herbert‘s rookie contract in 2021, adding Feiler, Slater and Corey Linsley. The latter two will continue on, but Feiler will be looking for a third NFL team. Feiler, 30, spent the first four years of his career with the Steelers.

Pro Football Focus viewed Feiler’s 2021 as a much better offering than his 2022 season, when the advanced metrics site ranked the sixth-year veteran outside the top 60 at guard. Salyer filled in effectively for Slater, who went down with what turned out to be a season-ending injury in September.

A sixth-round pick out of Georgia, Salyer mostly played left tackle for the powerhouse SEC program. But he filled in at guard at points. The Chargers are evidently confident they can roll out a best-five formula that includes Salyer between Slater and Linsley. As for Feiler, he will join a UFA guard contingent that still houses Isaac Seumalo, Dalton Risner, Will Hernandez, along with fellow cap casualties Gabe Jackson and Graham Glasgow.

AFC West Rumors: Payton, Munchak, Nagy

October 16th, 2022 at 11:47am CST by Rory Parks

With a young, top-flight QB in Justin Herbert and a talented roster surrounding him, the Chargers would appeal to almost any head coaching candidate. The team has once again dealt with major injury problems this year, but the decision-making of second-year HC Brandon Staley and the defense’s poor performance under Staley, a former defensive coach and coordinator, has led some to question his job security.

While it would be highly surprising to see Staley dismissed in-season — after all, as of the time of this writing, the club is 3-2 — Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post suggests that the Bolts could be willing to move on if the 2022 season does not “provide an acceptable outcome” (for a team like Los Angeles, an acceptable outcome presumably means at least a postseason berth). If Staley is indeed ousted, one longtime NFL personnel exec who has worked with former Saints head coach Sean Payton says the Chargers job is the one that Payton really wants.

Payton, 58, surprisingly stepped away from the Saints in January after having served as New Orleans’ head coach since 2006. He has left the door open for a return to the sidelines, and in July, it was reported that the Chargers would be one of his preferred teams, along with the Dolphins and Cowboys. Payton is said to be looking for a club that plays its home games in a warm weather city and that boasts a strong QB situation and roster, and the Chargers check all of those boxes. Plus, since the team is in the AFC, the Saints — who still hold Payton’s rights — may be willing to trade their Super Bowl-winning coach to LA.

However, Payton is also seeking control over personnel decisions, and Chargers GM Tom Telesco has been with the club since 2013. It would be interesting to see if team ownership would ask Telesco to cede at least some of his authority if a Payton acquisition becomes a possibility, and if Telesco would be willing to do so.

Now for more from the AFC West:

  • The surprising performance of rookie Jamaree Salyer means that the Chargers have a viable solution at LT in the absence of Rashawn Slater, as Daniel Popper of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Originally drafted as a guard, Salyer was appointed as Herbert’s blindside protector in Week 4 after Slater was placed on IR, and he played quite well in the team’s victory over the Texans. Then, in a Week 5 win over the Browns, Salyer held his own against Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, so Los Angeles should not have to make a move for a left tackle while it waits for Slater to return (which could happen at the end of the season).
  • Speaking of left tackles, Broncos LT Garett Bolles went under the knife on Wednesday to repair his broken right fibula, per Mike Klis of 9News.com. Bolles suffered the injury during Denver’s Week 5 loss to the Colts, and he will miss the remainder of the season. As Klis notes, Bolles’ $2MM injury guarantee for 2023 will be triggered, but given that the 2017 first-rounder is due to earn $14MM in salary in 2023 — a modest sum for a top left tackle — that presumably won’t matter too much.
  • Broncos rookie HC Nathaniel Hackett is under plenty of heat at the moment, and there are rumors that he may not even make it through his first season as a head coach. In light of his early difficulties, pundits are revisiting Hackett’s construction of his coaching staff, which included the decision to part ways with Denver’s former O-line coach, Mike Munchak, and replace him with Butch Barry (who had never worked as a lead OL coach in the NFL). Hackett made the move for schematic reasons, but as Peter King wrote in his weekly FMIA column on Monday, Munchak wanted to stay in Denver, and in addition to his reputation as one of the game’s best OL coaches, he is also a respected leader who has HC experience of his own. In hindsight, retaining a veteran influence like Munchak might have been the better decision.
  • The Bears relieved Matt Nagy of his head coaching duties at the end of the 2021 season, and he subsequently rejoined the Chiefs as quarterbacks coach/senior offensive assistant. Nagy put himself on the HC radar as the QBs coach and offensive coordinator for Kansas City from 2013-17, and he also worked under Chiefs head coach Andy Reid when both men where with the Eagles. It’s clear that Reid thinks highly of Nagy’s abilities, and a league source tells Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network that Nagy could eventually succeed his mentor as head coach of the Chiefs. Reid, 64, is under contract through 2025, and though he has said he is open to coaching into his 70s, it is feasible that he could end his Hall of Fame career before then. By the end of Reid’s current contract, Nagy will have had time to distance himself from the disappointing end to his Chicago tenure, and he may even find himself back as Kansas City’s OC if Eric Bieniemy ever lands his own head coaching post.
  • Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. is set to serve the final game of his four-game suspension on Sunday, and as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes, the league initially pushed for the maximum six-game ban. The union advocated a two-game suspension, and the two sides met in the middle at four games before the matter reached the jointly-appointed disciplinary officer, Judge Sue L. Robinson. Gay missed time due to injury in 2021 but finished the season as a top-25 ‘backer in the eyes of Pro Football Focus, and his return should provide a boost to KC’s defense.

Chargers To Start Jamaree Salyer At LT

October 2nd, 2022 at 11:49am CST by Rory Parks

The Chargers have placed starting LT Rashawn Slater on injured reserve, and they will be turning to a rookie to fill the void. As Daniel Popper of The Athletic reported earlier this week, the Bolts will deploy 2022 sixth-rounder Jamaree Salyer on QB Justin Herbert‘s blind side for the team’s Week 4 matchup with the Texans (Twitter link).

It would have been fair to expect veteran Storm Norton, who started 15 games at right tackle for the Chargers in 2021 and who filled in at left tackle in Week 3 when Slater went down with a torn biceps tendon, to get the nod, at least for the next couple of games. That is especially true given that Salyer, who is listed at 6-3, has less than ideal height for an NFL tackle. Given his size, Salyer was originally drafted as a guard, though he does have long arms and acquitted himself well as a tackle against Aidan Hutchinson — this year’s No. 2 overall pick — in the College Football Playoff semifinals last year.

Salyer also has a higher ceiling than Norton, a 2017 UDFA who lost this summer’s training camp battle for the starting RT job to Trey Pipkins III. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, the expectation is that Salyer will be a capable replacement for Slater. In the first three weeks of his pro career, Salyer has seen the field for 11 special teams snaps, so Sunday’s game will represent a trial by fire.

Herbert, of course, needs all the protection he can get. The passer is dealing with fractured rib cartilage, and while he came off the injury report on Friday, head coach Brandon Staley has confirmed that the injury will linger and will impact Herbert for some time. Luckily, starting center Corey Linsley — who exited the team’s Week 2 loss to the Chiefs due to a knee injury and who was inactive for the Week 3 loss to the Jaguars — is active for Sunday’s Houston contest.

RapSheet also passes along some good news with respect to Slater. Despite reports that the second-year pro would miss the remainder of the season, he may be able to return near the end of the campaign. If the Chargers are in the playoff hunt, Slater could suit up for one of the final two games of the season, or at least for the first game of the postseason if Los Angeles should qualify.

Cornerback J.C. Jackson, like Herbert, also came off the injury report on Friday.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/11/22

May 11th, 2022 at 4:20pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s late-round signings here:

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: TE Nick Muse (sixth round, South Carolina)

New England Patriots

  • Signed: DT Sam Roberts (sixth round, Northwest Missouri State)

Eight Georgia Bulldogs Declare For Draft

January 15th, 2022 at 8:27pm CST by Ely Allen

After wrapping of the 2021 football season with a National Championship win over the Crimson Tide, Georgia is ready to send a couple players to the NFL. So far, we’ve seen declarations from running backs Zamir White and James Cook, wide receiver George Pickens, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer, defensive linemen Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and safety Lewis Cine.

White was a 5-star recruit out of North Carolina and the consensus top-ranked running back in the 2018 graduating class. White was forced to red-shirt his true freshman season after tearing his ACL, his second such injury in about 9 months. After healing, he took snaps behind D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien before taking over as the lead back in 2020 rushing for 1,635 yards and 22 touchdowns over the next two seasons. Dane Brugler, of The Athletic, has White ranked as the 7th-best running back in the class and he should expect to hear his name on Day 2 or 3 of the draft.

James Cook, the younger brother of Dalvin Cook, came into Georgia the same year as White but didn’t have to sit out his freshman year. Cook has sat just below White on the depth chart for the three years they were both active, racking up 1,031 rushing yards along with 10 touchdowns in the past two seasons. He is ranked the 5th-best running back on Brugler’s list and should also expect to hear his name in the middle rounds.

Pickens arrived at Georgia as a 5-star recruit after flipping from a commitment to Auburn. He led the team in receiving his freshman year with 727 yards and 8 touchdowns. He improved his yards per game average the next year but missed two games in an already shortened COVID-season. Pickens tore his ACL in March 2021 but returned to contribute to the Bulldogs’ National Championship run catching 2 passes for 61 yards in two playoff games. Brugler has Pickens as the 9th-best receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft. It’s expected that some team will take a flyer on the big-bodied receiver on Day 2 or early into Day 3.

Salyer was a 5-star recruit and the consensus top-ranked guard in the 2018 graduating class. Salyer saw his first start late in his sophomore year before securing his spot as the blindside starting tackle for the next two seasons. He missed a couple games with an injury this year, but he surrendered no sacks in eleven starts this year. Brugler has Salyer as the 7th-best interior offensive lineman and we should expect to hear his name on Day 2 or early into Day 3.

Walker came in as a 5-star recruit from west Georgia and dominated as soon as he arrived. Walker became an instant presence on the line with an elite get-off. After starting at defensive tackle for every game this season, Walker led the defensive line in sacks as an interior lineman with 6.0. Despite his size and placement in the Georgia defense, Brugler has Walker as the 4th-best edge rusher in the draft. Whether or not that’s where NFL teams see the junior Bulldog playing, he’s expected to hear his name called late in the first-round or early in the second.

Wyatt initially attended Hutchinson Community College to help meet the academic requirements needed to play Division I football. After transferring to Georgia, Wyatt rotated on the defensive line for two years before becoming a starter in 2020. Wyatt decided to use the extra year of eligibility, granted due to COVID-19, to come back for the 2021 season and it certainly paid off. Brugler has Wyatt as the 4th-best interior defensive lineman and he’s expected to be selected in the middle rounds of the draft.

Dean was a 5-star recruit and the consensus second-ranked inside linebacker in the 2019 graduating class. The much-ballyhooed linebacker made an immediate impact in his freshman year before nabbing the starting job for his entire sophomore and junior seasons. He culminated his final season not only with a National Championship trophy but also with the 2021 Butkus Award trophy given to the top linebacker in college football. He finished the season second on the team in tackles (behind fellow draft hopeful, Cine) and with the team lead in tackles for loss. Dean is the 2nd-best linebacker on Brugler’s list and is widely expected to go in the first round.

Cine was a Top-100 recruit in the 2019 graduating class. Cine played every game his freshman season before taking over as the starting safety for the next two seasons. Cine led the team in tackles for the season and made a few big plays to help the team clinch their National Championship. Brugler has Cine as the 3rd-best safety in the draft and he’s expected to hear his name called on Day 1 or early in Day 2 of the draft.

These eight aren’t the last Bulldogs expected to declare for the draft, either. Although no announcements have been made, defensive tackle, and winner of the 2021 Outland Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award, Jordan Davis, linebackers Channing Tindall and Quay Walker, and cornerback Derion Kendrick all are expected to be weighing their options and could set their sights on the NFL.