Chargers' surprise name was top-graded player at needy spot during preseason win

Trey Lance, Nikko Reed and a handful of others stole the spotlight as the Los Angeles Chargers trounced the Detroit Lions in the preseason opener.

But there was a quiet breakout happening along Justin Herbert’s offensive line, too. 

Jamaree Salyer has been simmering in the background as a breakout for most of the summer, especially with Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh recently praising his progress as a pro after shaving off “35 pounds of bad weight.”

That showed up on the field against the Lions, with Mark Chichester and Ben Cooper of Pro Football Focus revealing that Salyer earned the highest grade of any offensive lineman during the exhibition: 

“The Chargers held out Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, Mekhi Becton and Bradley Bozeman from Thursday's contest, allowing 2022 draft pick Jamaree Salyer to get the start at right guard. He earned the game's top PFF overall grade among offensive linemen after letting up no quarterback pressures on six pass-blocking snaps and making two positively graded run blocks on six run-blocking snaps.”

That’s big progress for Salyer, who received some first-team reps in training camp already and could stick in the mix at a guard spot. 

Right now, it feels like anything could happen at the left guard spot. Mekhi Becton has a lock on right guard, but Zion Johnson struggling at center and Bradley Bozeman floating between center and guard leaves much to be desired right now. 

It’s still a long shot, but it would be wise not to fully discredit Salyer as staying in the mix for most of the summer after this hot start.