Chargers Lose Lamp For The Season, But It Doesn’t End There

News

Los Angeles Chargers rookie offensive lineman Forrest Lamp’s season is over. On Wednesday, Aug. 2, Lamp was carted off of the field during the team’s training camp practice. Lamp was diagnosed with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee and was ruled out for the entire 2017-2018 season.

Team Expectation

Lamp, a second round pick (38th overall) with first round prowess, was expected to start at right guard for the Chargers this season. In 2016, the team ranked in the top 10 for sacks allowed, with quarterback Philip Rivers hitting the turf 36 times, losing a total of 188 yards. Los Angeles was counting on Lamp to shore up an offensive line that lost three starters from last year, as the Chargers released Orlando Franklin, D.J. Fluker and King Dunlap this off-season.

Reality

This will serve as a redshirt year for a talented lineman. Having redshirted his freshman season at Western Kentucky University in 2012, this is nothing new for the 23-year-old. Lamp will likely be replaced in the lineup by longtime backup guard Kenny Wiggins.

Impact

The move to Los Angeles has not seemed to stymie the plague of injuries that have crippled the Chargers in seasons past. Prior to Lamp going down for the year, the Chargers lost seventh overall pick, former Clemson wide receiver, Mike Williams, who is not expected to return from a herniated disk until October.

While the Chargers have enough depth at receiver to weather the beginning of the season without Williams, the team’s line is a different story. Philip Rivers will turn 36 in December and, while the Chargers are beginning to look at a future without their star quarterback, the team does not appear prepared to lose him any time soon with no heir apparent. A lack of depth along the offensive line is a big cause for concern.

With Wiggins expected to man the right guard spot in place of Lamp, starting center Matt Slauson will slide into left guard position. Free agent acquisition Russell Okung is slotted to start at left tackle, while Spencer Pulley, who went undrafted in 2016, is penciled in as the starting center heading into the season, which leaves right tackle Joe Barksdale as the only lineman returning to his starting position.

The Chargers patchwork offensive line will face consistent pressure out of the gate and throughout the year. The team opens its season with the Denver Broncos, where linebacker Von Miller has tallied 73.5 sacks during his six-year NFL tenure, with 13.5 in 2016. In Week 3, the team faces Kansas City, where teammates Justin Houston and Tamba Hali have wreaked havoc on opposing offenses since 2011. In an injury-filled down year, they posted a paltry combined seven sacks last season, however with career highs of 22 and 14.5, respectively, the duo has the potential to decimate any offensive line that stands in their way.

Arguably the biggest threat to the Chargers comes from the Oakland Raiders, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack. The 26-year-old Mack has 30 sacks in his first three seasons, tallying 11 in 2016 and a career-high 15 in 2015. As division rivals, the Chargers face the Chiefs, Raiders and Broncos twice a year.

One major positive for the Chargers is that the team addressed the line early in the draft not once but twice, selecting Dan Feeney, a guard out of Indiana, in the third round (71st overall). Many analysts, including Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, considered Feeney to be the second-best interior lineman in the draft behind Lamp.

Opinion

While the Chargers are sure to miss Forrest Lamp’s strength and versatility, he can use this season as an opportunity to focus on learning the playbook and developing the mental side of his game. If all goes well with his rehabilitation, Lamp could become one of the more talented offensive linemen in the NFL. His debut next season will likely be one to watch.