The Chargers just lost a starter on the offensive line at the worst possible time.
Center Tyler Biadasz injured his ACL during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Rams and is now out indefinitely. The team is calling it a significant injury and expects an extended absence, though the exact recovery window depends on whether it is a partial or full tear. Either way, Biadasz will not be on the field for the season opener at Kansas City in three weeks.
This is a huge problem for Los Angeles.
Biadasz was the anchor of the offensive line. The Chargers signed him from Dallas as a free agent last year, and he immediately became one of the better centers in the AFC. His snap communication, his mobility for zone runs, and his ability to hold up against nose tackles were all critical to a Chargers offense that leaned heavily on the run game and demanded a lot from the interior of the line.
Justin Herbert is going to feel this. The Chargers’ offense is built on Herbert’s ability to work off play-action and rhythm throws, both of which require a settled pocket and clean quarterback protections. Losing the center is the single worst position to lose along the line for that kind of offense.
Jim Harbaugh has options, but none of them are great. Bradley Bozeman is the veteran backup and would be the immediate starter. He has been solid throughout his career but is a step down from Biadasz. The team could also slide Zion Johnson to center from guard, though that would create a hole at another position.
General manager Joe Hortiz will probably work the trade market this week. Teams are cutting to 53 in the next two weeks, and there is always some center movement around final cuts. A center-needy team like the Chargers has time to make a move before Week 1.
The bigger picture is the AFC West race. Kansas City is still Kansas City. The Broncos are on the rise. The Raiders got better on defense. The Chargers were the projected favorites to win the division after their 11-win season last year, and losing Biadasz throws real cold water on that narrative.
Harbaugh’s teams have always leaned on physical, run-first offense. That approach works only when the offensive line is stable and healthy. Losing your best interior lineman three weeks before the opener is exactly the kind of injury that changes a season’s identity.
Herbert now has to be more of a hero and less of a system quarterback. That has been the story of the Chargers for years, and it usually does not end well. Herbert can do it, obviously, but the team was supposed to be past the point where they needed him to carry weeks by himself.
The joint practice format is also going to get more scrutiny after two teams lost starters in the same week. Higgins in Houston. Biadasz in Los Angeles. Both were injured in high-tempo, full-speed drills against a different team. Teams sign up for these practices for a reason, but the injury cost has been significant across the league this August.
Biadasz is 28 and should recover fully from an ACL injury, but a full year is a full year. The Chargers are going to have to survive without him, and that is a very different team than the one everyone was projecting three days ago.
Kansas City awaits in three weeks. This will not be pretty.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
