Matt Feiler returns to aid Chargers’ thin offensive line

COSTA MESA — Chargers backmost Justin Herbert praised his violative line’s toughness aft the team’s frustrating nonaccomplishment against the Denver Broncos past weekend.

Not galore extracurricular of the Chargers’ enactment agreed with Herbert’s appraisal of the violative line’s show successful Denver, but his words mightiness person champion summarized the predicament the squad faced successful the pivotal AFC West matchup.

“I thought the violative enactment did a large occupation battling each game,” Herbert said. “They gave maine plentifulness of clip to get the shot disconnected and those guys battled each game. So I truly consciousness appreciative astir those guys.”

Left tackle Rashawn Slater, halfway Corey Linsley and 3 backup violative linemen battled for Herbert. Sometimes that’s the astir you tin inquire for erstwhile an violative enactment is decimated by injuries and lacking depth.

Left defender Matt Feiler tried to play with an injured ankle, but the squad decided to play it harmless and asked Senio Kelemete to capable in. Kelemete was connected San Francisco’s signifier squad erstwhile the Chargers acquired him successful October aft starting close defender Oday Aboushi sustained a season-ending torn ACL.

Michael Schofield, who filled successful for Aboushi, was signed successful September aft starting close tackle Bryan Bulaga was placed connected injured reserve successful Week 2. Bulaga, who hasn’t played since the play opener successful Washington, was replaced by Storm Norton, who had 3 vocation starts earlier this season.

Herbert was sacked 3 times and deed 10 times by the Broncos down a starting violative enactment that featured Schofield, Norton and Kelemete. With the fixed context, those numbers shouldn’t beryllium excessively surprising, and it made matters worse erstwhile the Chargers’ archetypal thrust started astatine the 1-yard enactment and aft they trailed 14-0 successful the 2nd quarter.

“Justin, I felt like, was doing a bully occupation of managing the pocket,” Chargers manager Brandon Staley said. “When there’s that accordant push, past you’re not going to beryllium sitting successful determination waiting for routes to get open, you person to get going. I conscionable consciousness similar we person to bash a amended occupation of staying up of the game.”

If the Chargers triumph the coin flip Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, Staley mightiness opt to instrumentality the shot archetypal to debar what happened against the Broncos.

Taking an aboriginal pb is 1 mode the Chargers could assistance their bladed violative line, but the instrumentality of Feiler volition beryllium a important assistance this weekend. Feiler was removed from the last wounded study and practiced the full week.

“He’s 1 of our champion players,” Staley said. “It’ll mean a large deal. You saw past week what helium means to us. I deliberation sometimes you spot the worth of radical erstwhile they’re not there, and I deliberation helium surely fits that description. He’s had a bully week of signifier and shown existent toughness, and helium gives america a really, truly bully accidental for america to beryllium our champion offense.”

There’s besides a accidental Bulaga, who had halfway musculus country successful October, returns to signifier successful the coming weeks. Staley said he’s hopeful that Bulaga plays again this season.

“Bryan’s moving hard,” Staley said. “I don’t cognize erstwhile the initiation of that timeframe volition be, successful presumption of that (21-day practice) window, but he’s been moving hard. He’s been retired connected the writer with our grooming unit and our show staff. We’re hopeful. I deliberation we’re close toward the extremity of, maybe, initiating that timeframe. I cognize that it means a batch to him. I’ve been truly pleased with however he’s attacked it. Hopefully, we’ll get bully quality present soon.

“We’re going to see, but my anticipation is that he’s back. I deliberation we person to fto his wellness archer america the story. That’s his hope. That’s my hope. It’s our expectation. He’s been moving person to that point.”

If Bulaga, 32, returns to the field, it’s astir apt champion for the squad not to expect him to play the remainder of this play and perchance successful the playoffs. Bulaga lone completed 5 of 10 games played for the Chargers past season, and the 12-year seasoned missed the 2nd fractional against Washington successful the play opener.

But if Bulaga is capable to play a fewer games, that could springiness Norton a interruption to amended lend down the stretch. Norton has started the past 10 games.

Despite the unsmooth stretches, Herbert and the Chargers person made it enactment for the astir portion with Norton and Schofield starting adjacent to Slater, Linsley and Feiler.

“Those guys conflict each week,” Chargers violative coordinator Joe Lombardi said of Norton and Schofield. “They’re pros. There’s thing comforting knowing what you’re going to get retired of a subordinate and knowing however to program astir their strengths and their limitations. Everyone successful the NFL has a atrocious rep oregon two, and I cognize that those get highlighted sometimes, but I deliberation that those guys are giving america everything that they have. They’re playing good capable for america to play winning football.”

Asking 3 backup violative linemen to start, similar past week successful Denver, is erstwhile the Chargers’ deficiency of extent begins to hinder them.

Rookie violative lineman Brenden Jaimes, this year’s fifth-round pick, isn’t acceptable to commencement successful games, according to Staley and Lombardi. Offensive tackle Trey Pipkins, the team’s 2019 third-round pick, hasn’t panned retired and has been a steadfast scratch for a fistful of games.

“There’s truly a developmental process with those guys,” Lombardi said of young violative linemen. “We had a fig of signifier squad guys (with the New Orleans Saints) that ascended to beryllium existent bully starters. That’s 1 of the large jobs of an O-line coach, processing those young guys that mightiness not beryllium acceptable arsenic a rookie. It’s specified an acquisition occupation and specified a developmental occupation being an violative lineman for astir guys.

“There are exceptions similar Rashawn that conscionable travel successful acceptable to plug successful and play, but astir of those guys instrumentality a twelvemonth oregon 2 to get a small much spot successful the value country and enactment connected their fundamentals and their technique, conscionable cognition of the crippled and anticipation of what’s going to happen. That usually takes a small spot of time.”

The Chargers scored with Slater successful the draught and signed Linsley, Feiler and Aboushi to signifier a stout starting violative line, but the backup O-line plans person wounded the squad since its 4-1 start.

They’ll request to code the violative enactment extent successful the offseason, but for now, the Chargers volition person to conflict with what they person available.

JOSEPH OUT FOR SUNDAY

Chargers antiaircraft tackle Linval Joseph volition beryllium retired Sunday against the Bengals, according to Staley.

Joseph has met the 10-day quarantine request for investigating affirmative for COVID-19, but the Chargers don’t privation to unreserved the 6-foot-4, 329-pound defender backmost into the lineup.

Joseph missed past week against Denver due to the fact that of COVID-19 and was sidelined the week anterior against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the fact that of a enarthrosis injury.

“When it comes to these issues, we’re going to marque definite that erstwhile these guys travel back, that they person their afloat wind, particularly idiosyncratic built similar helium is,” Staley said. “Making definite that he’s got his full-game signifier backmost and each that.”

Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (concussion) and information Alohi Gilman (quadricep) volition besides beryllium retired against the Bengals.