Chargers’ offensive line welcomes Jamaree Salyer back at left tackle

EL SEGUNDO — If all goes as planned and Jamaree Salyer suffers no significant setbacks during practice this week, then he will be the Chargers’ starting left tackle for their AFC wild-card game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. He sat out the past two games because of a hamstring injury.

If he’s sound enough to play against the Patriots, then he would join left guard Zion Johnson, center Bradley Bozeman, right guard Mekhi Becton and right tackle Trey Pipkins III to form a somewhat less patchwork offensive line than the Chargers have put together in many recent games.

The Chargers have been without top tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater because of season-ending ankle and knee injuries, respectively, and tried to make do as best as possible. Salyer has been perhaps the best candidate at left tackle, having been a starter earlier in his career.

Austin Deculus, Bobby Hart and Trevor Penning also have had an opportunity to serve as quarterback Justin Herbert’s blind-side protector after first Slater and then Alt went down with serious injuries. Slater injured his knee in training camp and Alt hurt his ankle in Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans.

The absence of Slater and Alt, two potential Pro Bowl picks had they been healthy this season, put Herbert in jeopardy more often than at any time in his previous five seasons. He was sacked 54 times in 16 games, the most in his career. He also was hit 129 times by opposing defenders.

“The starters will be the starters,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday, after sitting out Salyer, Johnson, Bozeman, Becton and Pipkins for the final game of the regular season, a 19-3 loss to the Denver Broncos last weeend, in preparation of Sunday’s wild-card game.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Harbaugh seemed as surprised as anyone in the known football universe that his older brother, John, was fired Tuesday by the Baltimore Ravens. John Harbaugh coached the Ravens for 18 seasons, taking a Super Bowl victory over Jim and the San Francisco 49ers following the 2012 season.

“John Harbaugh is the best coach I know, the best coach I’ve ever seen,” Jim Harbaugh said. “You might say I’m his brother and I might be biased, but then you have somebody like (former NFL player and coach and current commentator) Tony Dungy, especially like Tony Dungy himself, to say that (expressing shock at John Harbaugh’s firing). It’s great to see that outpouring of support.”

Jim said he told John his next team would be “formidable” wherever it might be.

“I just hope it’s in the NFC,” Jim Harbaugh said, smiling.

Jim Harbaugh also discounted any notion that his brother would join him with the Chargers in any capacity. John has already been linked to any number of head coaching vacancies around the league. Jim said he looked forward to facing John in “some form or fashion” sooner than later.

“I could tell he’ll be attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind at the next opportunity and that’ll be a gift (to his next team) to have the best coach, one of the best coaches ever, the best coach I’ve ever known,” Jim Harbaugh said. “As I said, the best coach I’ve ever seen.”

LOOKING AHEAD

The NFL won’t release the times and dates for the 2026 schedule until May, but it did announce earlier this week the home and road opponents for the next season for each team. The Chargers’ schedule includes games against the AFC East and the NFC West, including the Rams.

The home opponents: Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, New York Jets and 49ers. The road opponents: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Rams, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Like the 2025 season, when they opened against the Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Chargers are expected to be a candidate to play an international game again in 2026. Mexico City is believed to be one possibility after renovations to Estadio Azteca were completed, but Australia is another.

Stay tuned.