Jim Harbaugh offers wild claim on struggling Chargers player

The Los Angeles Chargers hammered the Detroit Lions by a score of 34-7 in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night, and while there was certainly a whole lot to be encouraged about if you're a Chargers fan, there were also some clear issues that surfaced.

Perhaps the most notable was offensive lineman Zion Johnson, who has been moved from guard to center amid considerable struggles. Well, needless to say, Johnson labored at center, too, as he was definitely having a difficult time containing the Lions' pass rush in the preseason opener.

After the game, though, head coach Jim Harbaugh raved about Johnson, calling him "probably the most athletic lineman, maybe our smartest." He also added that he Johnson was a "great player" and that "he did a heck of a job" against Detroit, via Alex Insdorf of Bolt Beat.

Now, to be fair, no one is expecting Harbaugh to throw any of his players under the bus. But he also didn't have to go entirely overboard.

Los Angeles has a couple of terrific athletes at the tackle positions in the Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, both of whom are clearly LA's best linemen and probably the team's smartest, too. So gushing that much about Johnson just seems a bit disingenuous.

A former first-round pick, Johnson has been a colossal disappointment since entering the NFL in 2022. He he has been durable, missing just two starts throughout that span, but he has not been very good, which is part of the reason why the Chargers decided to change his position in the first place.

Los Angeles' interior offensive line could present a pretty significant problem in general heading into 2025, but hopefully, the Bolts are able to navigate around the issues. And who knows? Maybe Johnson really will step up at center.