Rashawn Slater has ankle surgery, Chargers put LT on IR

The surgery is the twist. A high-ankle sprain usually means rest and a walking boot, but Slater's side went under the knife to try to speed up his return.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

#Chargers OT Rashawn Slater underwent successful ankle surgery yesterday in LA, a tight-rope procedure aimed at accelerating his return from a high-ankle sprain. Slater, who was injured in Sunday’s game vs the #Seahawks, will be placed on Injured Reserve and begin rehabbing.

Slater got hurt in the 4th quarter of Sunday's 30-23 loss in Seattle, and it was a brutal day for the whole line. Several starters left the game injured, and the Chargers finished their last drives with 4 rookies up front. The loss dropped them to 0-4. Rookie Logan Taylor moved from guard to left tackle once Slater went down, and he's the obvious name to watch while Slater is out.

Here's what the tight-rope procedure does: it stabilizes the joint so the ankle can heal faster than it would on its own. Early reports had Slater missing 4-6 weeks. Going on IR means at least 4 games no matter what, so the surgery is really about how soon after that he can play. The team made it official, and he starts rehab right away.

Jeremy Fowler

@JFowlerESPN

Chargers LT Rashawn Slater underwent successful ankle surgery Thursday in Los Angeles, per the team. Will go on IR and begin rehab immediately.

The worst part is the pattern. Slater missed all of 2025 after tearing his patellar tendon in training camp, and he lost a big chunk of 2022 to a torn biceps. That's 3 of the last 4 seasons hit by a significant injury. He'd started all 4 games this year and given up 1 sack and 8 pressures on 152 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF. Not his best stuff yet, but he was healthy and on the field, and that's what the Chargers were paying for.

They're paying a lot. Slater signed a 4-year, $114 million extension in 2025, which made him the league's 2nd-highest-paid offensive lineman by average annual salary. Then he got hurt before he played a down under it. A season-plus later, the 2021 No. 13 overall pick is watching from the sidelines again.

What to watch next: whether Taylor and the rest of a banged-up line can keep the quarterback upright while an 0-4 team tries to save its season, and whether the surgery actually gets Slater back soon after his 4 games on IR are up. If the Chargers are still 4 or 5 losses deep when he's eligible, getting him back fast won't help much.