The Los Angeles Chargers have started the 2026 NFL season at 0-6, marking them as officially the worst team in the NFL. They have dealt with injuries, poor play from multiple units and extremely poor coaching from coaches who seemingly have never had a track record of being bad.
While it has been an odd season filled with surprises, one thing has been unsurprising: injuries piling up for players in the Powder Blue uniform. Injuries always seem to happen for the Chargers, an unfortunate certainty fans can count on year in and year out.
Joe Alt's Injury & His Return
One of the biggest injuries suffered thus far in the 2026 NFL season has been Pro Bowl offensive tackle, former Top 5 selection, Joe Alt. Alt suffered a neck injury against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 due to a freak helicopter-esque kick from Seahawks defender Nick Emmanwori.
The play where Joe Alt is injured by Seahawks DB Nick Emmanwori pic.twitter.com/2P0KMGTzAl
— RIBH (@RunItBackHerbo) October 5, 2026
Cannot exactly say I have seen anything like that happen in an NFL game, but also I cannot say I thought the Chargers were going to be 0-6 to start this NFL season either.
Moving on, Alt has missed two games: the Chargers' losses to the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. Anytime you are dealing with a neck injury, it is important to prioritize safety over rushing back, allowing Alt to spend time with a specialist and get clearance to begin practicing on Oct. 18.
Alt has officially returned to practice today, Oct. 21, the Chargers' first practice since losing to the Chiefs. Along with his return, the Chargers' starting left guard, Kayode Awosika, has also returned to practice after missing time with his fibula injury. He missed a total of four games.
RT Joe Alt (neck) and LG Kayode Awosika (fibula) were participating during the portion of today’s Chargers practice open to the media.
— Noah Furtado (@bynoahfurtado) October 21, 2026
Who is the Starting 5 OL for the Chargers After the Bye Week?
Now that the Chargers are back with two more of their offensive linemen, the offensive line will once again be shuffled to ensure the "best 5" are out in front of Justin Herbert. With rookies Travis Burke, Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey all being starters over the last two weeks, who will be the rookies to be replaced first?
LT: Travis Burke
LG: Kayode Awosika
C: Jake Slaughter
RG: Cole Strange
RT: Joe Alt
This lineup sees Harkey and Taylor being replaced by Alt and Awosika, returning from their respective injuries. Burke continues in his role as the third tackle, continuing what has been a pretty impressive season for the fourth-round rookie.
The only step left for the Bolts is to see Rashawn Slater return from injured reserve and get this offensive line back to health. Who knows if that will be enough to turn the team around, but seeing Herbert have healthy linemen in front of him will hopefully bring more morale.
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