SAN DIEGO – Although he had not played meaningful minutes at guard in five NFL seasons, Chris Hairston filled in nicely for the San Diego Chargers when right guard D.J. Fluker went down in the third quarter with a high-ankle sprain in a win over the Detroit Lions last weekend.
“Really in any organized football situation it never came up for me to have to slide into guard,” he said. “I was just glad I was ready. And that’s just a testament to this coaching staff, a testament to the guys that helped me get caught up and rolling.”
With Fluker likely out four-to-six weeks, Hairston could be the short-term, fill-in at a key position up front.
At 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, Hairston signed a one-year deal with San Diego during the offseason to serve as the team’s swing offensive tackle, backing up Fluker and left tackle King Dunlap.
Hairston said he was attracted to San Diego because he wanted to reunite with Chargers offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, who served at the same job when the Clemson product was drafted in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2011.
Hairston, 26, spent four seasons with the Bills, and all 15 of his career starts came while playing for D’Alessandris in Buffalo.
“He helped me learn what it is to be a pro,” Hairston said about D’Alessandris. “He helped me learn what it is to take the craft serious, work on technique and everything that you need to, day in and day out.
“He helped me with film study, and helped me with a lot of things that led me to last this long in the league. To have that here is nothing but a plus.”
Along with length, position flexibility and an ability to finish blocks, Hairston plays with a chip on his shoulder.
“With any offensive lineman, toughness is something that you have to have,” Hairston said. “It’s a prerequisite before you can come into this league. To be a professional player, it takes a lot of toughness, a lot of will -- a lot of mental acuity and just physical brawn.”
Hairston described the differences between playing tackle and guard in the NFL.
“The speed of the game changes a little bit with your eye discipline,” Hairston said. “At tackle it’s usually looking out, reading the defensive end and maybe to an outside linebacker. At guard, you’re reading from the nose [tackle] -- front side and back side -- to the linebacker that the quarterback has identified for us, to the outside guy. … There’s just a lot more going on to process.
“There’s a little more flashing across your face, and you’ve got to be ready to adjust. There can’t be any hesitation at all. At guard you’ve got to be ready to roll.”
Although Hairston replaced Fluker at right guard during San Diego’s win over Detroit last week, the Chargers have a couple other options.
San Diego brought back offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins this week, signing him to the active roster and clearing a spot by waiving tight end Kyle Miller. Wiggins was released during final roster cuts and has experience playing right guard.
The Chargers also could move center Chris Watt to right guard, where he split time with Johnnie Troutman last year, and bring in Trevor Robinson to start at center against his old team, the Cincinnati Bengals.
