In a potentially disastrous injury for the Los Angeles Chargers, the anchor of their offensive line, center Tyler Biadasz, suffered an ACL injury in camp during 11-on-11 drills that will almost certainly see him out long-term.
The biggest question now is how they plan to keep their superstar quarterback, Justin Herbert, upright, since Biadasz was meant to be part of an overhauled interior offensive line in free agency, having signed a 3-year, $30 million deal.
Still, an NFL analyst expects Herbert to deliver an MVP-caliber season come what may.
Expectations High For Justin Herbert Despite Disastrous Injury To The Anchor Of Their O-Line
Make no mistake, this is a blow for the Chargers.
Tasked with improving their offensive line in the offseason after Herbert faced an onslaught, getting sacked six times in their 16-3 Wild Card playoff loss to the New England Patriots in January, Biadasz, a one-time Pro Bowler, was their main addition. Now the Chargers will need to pivot.
The most likely course of action, barring free agency or trade, will be shifting rookie Jake Slaughter from left guard to center.
Despite the blow, Danny Parkins of FS1’s “First Things First” isn’t fielding any ready-made excuses; he expects a great season from Herbert.
“Nothing changes for Justin Herbert. The expectation is still to be an MVP-caliber player and win multiple playoff games, but I feel for Chargers fans because it feels like deja-vu all over again.”
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Parkins also remarked that Herbert’s offensive line feels cursed, considering the spate of serious injuries over the last few years, but he doesn’t think Biadasz’s injury is enough of an excuse for Herbert not to have a great season.
Report: Chargers C Tyler Biadasz (knee) out indefinitely. @DannyParkins reacts:
“Nothing changes for Justin Herbert. The expectation is still be an MVP-caliber player and win multiple playoff games, but I feel for Chargers fans.” pic.twitter.com/wKJIrGzpGl
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) August 19, 2026
Still, Parkins also pointed out Herbert had absolutely no help last season. His team tried 10 different offensive line combinations before culminating in a nightmare playoff performance where Herbert appeared to be running for his life.
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Parkins said, “Excuses are explanations. Last year they had 10 different offensive line combinations. The only guys sacked more than Justin Herbert were Cam Ward, who had no idea what he was doing, and Geno Smith, who turned in one of the worst quarterback seasons we’ve seen in the last five years… and Justin Herbert, who had 26 touchdowns and won 11 games. He had no help in front of him.”
The injury was particularly unfortunate for Biadasz, as it happened in a freak accident during joint practice, when San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Sebastian Valdez fell on his leg after guard Kayode Awosika accidentally threw him onto it, in a play the young guard would like to have back.
Biadasz isn’t giving up hope of returning at some point in the season as he seeks a second opinion, but it looks like it will be a significant long-term injury, forcing Jim Harbaugh to scour their depth chart.
GM Joe Hortiz will hope something shakes out to help protect their star quarterback. Far from an ideal start for the Chargers.
