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Jim Harbaugh confirms Chargers fans' worst nightmare at minicamp

Originally posted on Bolt Beat | By Jason Reed | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 9:00 AM ET

It's hard to complain about what head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz have done with the LA Chargers in such a short amount of time. However, no team is perfect and the Chargers' duo has made an obvious mistake on the interior offensive line.

The interior offensive line was the Achilles' Heel of the Chargers' offense (among other things) last season. Chargers fans expected an overhaul this offseason and were surprised when the only notable signing was right guard Mekhi Becton. However, with former Las Vegas Raiders center Andre James on the roster, there was hope for some change next season.

That hope has dwindled the more Harbaugh has praised last year's starting center Bradley Bozeman (who was questionably re-signed) and left guard Zion Johnson. Harbaugh's words of praise weren't for show, as the head coach has shown his hand during minicamp about who will start for the Bolts at these important positions.

#Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh says they would like to have the LG-C combination settled about 8-10 days into training camp.
He only mentioned Zion Johnson and Bradley Bozeman as players competing for the two spots…
— Guilty As Charged Podcast (@GACPodcast17) June 10, 2025

Jim Harbaugh confirms Chargers fans' worst offensive line fear

It's questionable and outright concerning that the Chargers are deciding to run back the left guard-center tandem from last season. It was clearly a weakness for the Bolts against teams with serviceable pass rushes and yet, the team did nothing.

To be fair, the odds of the Chargers fully giving up on Johnson as a former first-round pick were always slim. However, after declining his fifth-year option, one would assume that he would have more competition in the starting lineup. Instead, the competition is more about who is going to play where.

Johnson has been getting snaps at center with Bozeman at left guard. The former first-round pick has no experience at center and while Bozeman has guard experience, he has historically been better at center (as hard as that is to believe after last season).

Johnson was always going to be a factor. But the fact that Bozeman is in the running to start is roster malpractice by the Chargers. Bozeman is an important leader in the locker room and while that is incredibly valuable, the Chargers owe it to Justin Herbert to start the best offensive lineman possible.

Perhaps James isn't impressing the team and is playing worse than Bozeman. That isn't far-fetched considering the former Raider really struggled last season.

That being said, it's worth questioning why James was the only center competition the Chargers brought in this offseason. Los Angeles entered the offseason with the second-most cap space in the league and had ample draft capital to spend on a center.

For better or worse, Harbaugh has his guys and it is clear that being his guy goes a long way. Hopefully that doesn't end up hurting the team's franchise quarterback in the long run.

This article first appeared on Bolt Beat and was syndicated with permission.

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