The collective hearts of Los Angeles Chargers fans skipped a beat on Tuesday when a familiar scene took place at training camp.

Left tackle Rashawn Slater went to the medical tent during training camp practice. He was looked at by a team trainer after the first period of 11-on-11 team drills. According to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, Slater left the medical tent, went through some pass sets on the sideline, and watched individual work while holding his helmet.

He did not return to team drills for the remainder of practice, missing about an hour of work altogether. Trey Pipkins and Branson Taylor split reps protecting the blind side of quarterback Justin Herbert in his absence, per Popper.

An all-too-familiar scene for the Chargers left tackle

This is an all-too-familiar scene for Slater. Last August, almost a year to the date, the Chargers’ left tackle ruptured his patellar tendon in his left knee, which required season-ending surgery and caused him to miss the entirety of the 2025 NFL season. Early in the 2022 season, he suffered a ruptured biceps tendon in Week 3 that sidelined him for the majority of the year. He also dealt with a biceps issue back in January of 2023.

Slater passed his medical clearance ahead of 2026 training camp with the Chargers. He didn’t have to go on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which was a huge sigh of relief for Los Angeles. The Chargers are hoping to have a full complement of protection propping up star quarterback Herbert this year. Slater is the most crucial part of that equation.

Justin Herbert speaks on Slater’s injury scare

The team did not provide an official injury update on Slater after practice. However, star QB Justin Herbert did speak to reporters and was asked about the situation.

“Yeah, you know, it’s the unfortunate part of the NFL,” Herbert said. “It’s injuries and adversity, and you just have to deal with it. And we know that Rashaun is doing everything he can to be at his best. Sometimes, you know, unfortunate things happen. But we know he’s going to get back out there as quickly as he can. I’m sure he wanted to be back out there. He probably was trying to get back out there. They probably limited him. But you know, he’s a competitor, and we’ve got nothing but respect for him.”

Herbert indicated he briefly spoke to Slater. He said he didn’t want to speak for his left tackle when it comes to the injury. However, Herbert did note that Slater said he wanted to be back out there. That seems to be a promising development as far as the severity goes. If the injury were something serious, it’s unlikely that Slater would’ve remained on the practice field.

Chargers appear to be acting with an abundance of caution

Slater was spotted after practice speaking with his family. As he walked around, it felt like the Chargers were acting with an abundance of caution. Which is something normal to do with a very important player who got dinged up on a normal football play. That said, fans will likely be holding their breath. At least until they see him back out there protecting Herbert on the left side at training camp practice. Hopefully, that happens as quickly as possible, and Slater is able to put the injury woes behind him.