SAN DIEGO -- Though the Los Angeles Chargers experienced a rash of injuries that affected the team's ability to consistently execute on the field last season, for the most part the offensive line stayed relatively healthy.
The projected starting five of King Dunlap at left tackle, Orlando Franklin at left guard, Matt Slauson at center, D.J. Fluker at right guard and Joe Barksdale at right tackle started 12 of 16 games last season.
Though the front five played well enough for Melvin Gordon to nearly reach the 1,000-yard mark and quarterback Philip Rivers to make his sixth Pro Bowl, changes are expected under new head coach Anthony Lynn.
"We have to play better as a unit up front," Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. "There were just too many times where we had missed opportunities because we didn’t do a good enough job, whether it was protection or run blocking.
"No, let’s not say that was a reason we didn’t have much success, because we did have a 1,000-yard rusher, although I know we’re three yards short. And we did have a 1,000-yard receiver. You don’t do that without having an offensive line that can do some good things for you. But, you can’t ignore the fact that we’ve got to get better. We’ve got to protect Philip better, and we’ve got to do some things run-wise where we don’t have the negative plays that we did."
Potential salary-cap casualties for the Chargers up front include Dunlap, who carries a $5.75 million, non-guaranteed base salary that likely will be restructured if he stays on the roster in 2017. And Fluker's $8.8 million, fifth-year option is fully guaranteed if he’s on the Chargers' roster on the first day of free agency next week.
The Chargers have the No. 7 overall selection in this year’s draft. Although bringing in a talented offensive linemen is one of the team’s top priorities, this year’s draft class is weak at offensive line.
Wisconsin's Ryan Ramczyk, Alabama's Cam Robinson and Utah's Garett Bolles are all projected to potentially go in the first round, however many draft analysts rank them at the bottom of the first round.
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco and Lynn will get an up-close look at those prospects and others this week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
And the Chargers aren’t the only ones looking to revamp their offensive line. Seattle, Denver and the Rams also will be in the hunt for players to upgrade their offensive lines, either through the draft or free agency.
The problem for these teams and others is the steep learning curve for rookie offensive linemen once they reach the NFL, with most of them coming from spread offenses in college.
"There’s just a dearth at the position," Seahawks general manager John Schneider told reporters at the combine this week. "There just has been for a number of years now. There aren’t a lot of guys that. ... I mean, you just have to be really careful to figure out those guys that have the mental aptitude, first, to come in and learn everything. I think you saw it throughout the season with our younger guys. There’s a lot of stuff happening in there. And they have to figure it out. They have to be able to communicate. They just have to jell."
Telesco and Lynn must find the right mix of young players and veterans who can stay healthy and develop some cohesion on the field so that the Chargers get better offensive line play in 2017.
