Chargers Center Tyler Biadasz Carted Off, Quentin Johnston Also Hurt in Joint Practice With 49ers

The Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line nightmare deepened Tuesday when starting center Tyler Biadasz was carted off the field during a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers after being unable to put any weight on his left leg. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston went down with a separate lower-body injury in the same session, piling fresh concern onto a Chargers team already nursing left tackle Rashawn Slater through a stalled recovery just two days before Justin Herbert is set to start Thursday’s preseason game against San Francisco.

Biadasz signed with the Chargers as a big-money free-agent addition to anchor the interior of the line, and he had been the steady presence at center through an offseason full of shuffling up front. Tuesday’s injury occurred during an 11-on-11 drill when 49ers defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez fell into his left knee. Biadasz stayed on the ground for several minutes as trainers attended to him before being driven off on a medical cart, with quarterback Justin Herbert and tight end Scott Matlock stopping to check on him as he left. Rookie second-round pick Jake Slaughter stepped in at center for the remainder of practice.

Johnston Adds to a Growing Injury List

Johnston, the Chargers’ 2023 first-round pick, was hurt on a separate play after attempting a contested catch near the sideline. He came up limping and was immediately tended to by the training staff, who worked through evaluations on the sideline for the rest of practice. Johnston had already been dealing with a minor issue that kept him out of Monday’s session, and it remains unclear whether Tuesday’s setback is related. Early indications from how the training staff responded suggest the injury is not viewed as severe, though any lingering issue could complicate his path into the regular season. Linebacker Kyle Kennard also exited Tuesday’s practice with an injury, rounding out a rough afternoon for a Chargers roster trying to get healthy before Week 1.

The timing stings given where the Chargers are in their build under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who has been installing a fresh scheme throughout camp. Biadasz’s exit is particularly costly up front, where the club is already leaning on interior depth pieces while trying to stabilize continuity ahead of the regular season. Fans tracking DraftKings promo code offers for Thursday’s preseason slate will want to watch the injury report closely, since line moves tend to shift fast around news like this.

Slater’s Slow Return Complicates the Picture Further

Tuesday’s news lands on top of an already tense situation at left tackle, where Rashawn Slater has now missed at least five straight practices with an undisclosed issue as he works back from the torn patellar tendon that ended his 2025 season. Slater was cleared for full participation when camp opened on July 29 and looked strong initially, but he walked off during the team’s first padded practice on August 4 and has been in and out of the lineup since. He has maintained that the setbacks were expected as part of a “smart and thoughtful” rehab process, with his sights set on being ready for the September 13 regular-season opener against the Arizona Cardinals rather than rushing back for preseason snaps. In his absence, Trey Pipkins and Branson Taylor have rotated in at left tackle, while new offensive line coach Butch Barry continues piecing together workable combinations up front.

Despite the mounting attrition, head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed the Chargers will still play their starters, including Herbert, for one series in Thursday night’s preseason matchup at SoFi Stadium. It will mark the first live-game look at McDaniel’s offense running through the first-team unit, with Herbert set to hand things off to backups Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei once the opening series wraps. How the reshuffled line in front of Herbert holds up — even for a single series — will be watched closely given how many bodies the Chargers have lost up front over the past two weeks. The team has not yet provided a formal update on Biadasz’s diagnosis, and further testing is expected to determine how much time both he and Johnston will miss.