As one of just 11 Northwestern Wildcats ever selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, Rashawn Slater’s professional career was off to a promising start. Prior to the NFL, Slater started in his three seasons at Northwestern and appeared poised for a dominant senior campaign, earning preseason All-American honors before opting out of the season due to the pandemic. Now, it appears Slater will be off of the field once again following some disappointing news out of Los Angeles Chargers training camp on Thursday.
According to reports, Rashawn Slater went down during team practice with what appeared to be a left leg injury. A cart was brought out to take him off the field, with several players coming over to console their injured teammate.
Cart is out. Appears to be a left leg issue. He’s being carted inside. Teammates all coming up to hug him. https://t.co/WuH7agLRs4
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) August 7, 2025
While the exact nature of the injury is still unknown, the combination of a cart and concerned teammates is never a good sign. NFL insider Ian Rapoport highlighted this calling it a "potentially serious issue."
If the injury is as serious as it sounds, it’s an extremely unfortunate situation for both Rashawn Slater and the Chargers. Los Angeles recently signed their former All-Pro offensive tackle to a four-year, $114 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman annually in NFL history. A major reason for that deal is Slater’s elite pass-blocking ability, which obviously is a crucial factor in keeping quarterback Justin Herbert healthy.
Since getting drafted in 2021, Slater has been the most important piece for the Chargers’ offensive line, starting all 51 games in which he’s been available. He did miss most of the 2022 season after suffering a season-ending biceps injury early in the year.
Slater was a dominant force in the Big Ten during his college career, and was a big reason for the Wildcats accumulating a combined 19-8 record with two bowl game wins during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. While the team did not have the same success in 2019, Slater capped off his college career in an impressive way by not allowing a single sack that season.
Knowing Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh from his days at the college level, no one would be more saddened by a serious injury to an offensive lineman than a coach who loves running the football like him. At the end of the day, no one wants to see a player go down with an injury, especially during training camp, so everyone will be hoping for the best for whatever lies ahead for Rashawn Slater.