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The Chargers plan to determine their starting left guard in the third week of August, aiming to finalize the position after roughly 10 to 13 more training camp practices, head coach Jim Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel emphasized that the decision will not be rushed, stating that the "wide-open" competition will truly be decided only after evaluating players during live-action, padded practices.
“There’s going to be a really fun competition that’s just getting underway,” McDaniel said. “But really, you can’t claim a lead player in that race this early in the process, particularly because that’s a job of blocking people, and we really haven’t got to the stage of truly blocking someone, which occurs when you have pads on.”
While free-agent addition Kayode Awosika took the majority of first-team reps during early non-padded offseason programs and OTAs, the coaching staff has intentionally slowed the evaluation process and added other players to the mix.
Five linemen have cycled through the first-team offense during the first four days of camp, with those being Awosika, rookie Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning, Trey Pipkins and Branson Taylor.
Despite fan eagerness to see Slaughter, the second-round pick, pull ahead, the staff is being patient. By stretching the competition through joint practices and preseason action, it appears Harbaugh and McDaniel aim to lock down a reliable protector for quarterback Justin Herbert well before Week 1.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: When will Chargers name starting left guard? Jim Harbaugh sounds off
Continue reading...
Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel emphasized that the decision will not be rushed, stating that the "wide-open" competition will truly be decided only after evaluating players during live-action, padded practices.
“There’s going to be a really fun competition that’s just getting underway,” McDaniel said. “But really, you can’t claim a lead player in that race this early in the process, particularly because that’s a job of blocking people, and we really haven’t got to the stage of truly blocking someone, which occurs when you have pads on.”
While free-agent addition Kayode Awosika took the majority of first-team reps during early non-padded offseason programs and OTAs, the coaching staff has intentionally slowed the evaluation process and added other players to the mix.
Five linemen have cycled through the first-team offense during the first four days of camp, with those being Awosika, rookie Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning, Trey Pipkins and Branson Taylor.
Despite fan eagerness to see Slaughter, the second-round pick, pull ahead, the staff is being patient. By stretching the competition through joint practices and preseason action, it appears Harbaugh and McDaniel aim to lock down a reliable protector for quarterback Justin Herbert well before Week 1.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: When will Chargers name starting left guard? Jim Harbaugh sounds off
Continue reading...
