Slater's devastating patellar tendon tear casts a shadow. Can this Pro Bowl lineman regain his elite form after such a rare, serious injury?
Rashawn Slater, the Los Angeles Chargers Pro Bowl LT, missed the entire 2025 NFL season after injuring his left knee in an early training camp practice.
That's about as much of the story as I recorded to memory at the time, and the only thing I've added to that thought since then is that "the Chargers could've really used him on their 2025 team."
It wasn't until just days ago that I remembered that it wasn't just a knee injury that required surgery. Rashawn Slater tore his patellar tendon in his left knee. That is a much bigger deal.
The most common knee injury that requires surgery amongst NFL players is an ACL (or anterior cruciate ligament) tear. You'll see it on the diagram above as a small ligament in the center (front) of the knee.
You'll notice, as you look at the diagram and touch your own knee, that you can't feel the ACL because it is buried back behind the patella (aka "knee cap") and the patellar tendon, which attaches the front part of your knee to your lower leg.
As you might imagine, patellar tendon injuries are a lot more serious than ACL injuries and there's a pretty rough track record of professional athletes returning from a patellar tear.
Limited studies say that only about 55% of NFL players that suffer this injury return to the NFL. Less than that are able to return to the form they had before the injury.
The same injury was a big reason for the dropoff from former Chargers CB J.C. Jackson, although playmakers (like TE Jimmy Graham) have shown more of an ability to return and be productive than offensive linemen.
Cleveland Browns OT Jack Conklin is viewed as one of the success stories after he tore his patellar in 2021 and came back to start 14 games in 2022. He also tore his ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus in the 2023 season opener. It's at least a little possible that those two things are related.
I'm genuinely concerned about what happens if Slater is not able to return to Pro Bowl form or is unable to stay healthy long-term, because it feels like so much of the Los Angeles Chargers' future plans are based on those two things happening. But I'm also not sure how you come up with a backup plan for the third highest paid player on the roster.