Jim Harbaugh offered a discouraging update on center Tyler Biadasz, whose ACL injury doesn’t look promising.
The Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line took a heavy hit this week, and head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t sugarcoating the outlook. Center Tyler Biadasz suffered damage to his ACL along with additional injuries to his left knee during Tuesday’s joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers, and the early prognosis is grim.
“It’s an ACL,” Harbaugh said about the injury. “Doesn’t look promising.”
The injury was as freakish as it was costly. Harbaugh described it as a one-in-10,000 type of play, noting that Biadasz and the rest of the line had blocked it so well that 49ers defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez ended up falling into the side of his ward’s leg.
The 28-year-old was unable to put weight on his left leg and looked visibly upset as he was carted off the field.
Even with the discouraging news, Harbaugh left a sliver of hope. He said Biadasz is exploring options and second opinions and is hell-bent on doing whatever he can to keep playing. The team confirmed Biadasz is in the process of gathering additional opinions, leaving a narrow window that the damage may not be a complete tear.
The timing could hardly be worse. Biadasz signed a three-year, $30 million contract in free agency this offseason and was the biggest piece of general manager Joe Hortiz’s interior line overhaul. He arrived as a symbol of reliability, having played 15 or more games in each of the last five seasons for the Cowboys and Commanders while earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2022.
His absence reopens an all-too-familiar wound for Los Angeles. Last season, Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending knee injury in camp, and right tackle Joe Alt was lost to an ankle issue that cost him 11 games, forcing Justin Herbert to survive behind a patchwork front.
With Biadasz sidelined, rookie Jake Slaughter is the top candidate to take over the starting reps at center. Slaughter had been pushing for a starting guard spot with a strong camp and may now claim a job in the middle instead.
For a team banking on protecting Herbert, losing its marquee line addition before the season is a bitter blow.
The Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line took a heavy hit this week, and head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t sugarcoating the outlook. Center Tyler Biadasz suffered damage to his ACL along with additional injuries to his left knee during Tuesday’s joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers, and the early prognosis is grim.