Los Angeles Chargers’ Joe Alt Expected Ready for Training Camp

Los Angeles Chargers right tackle Joe Alt (ankle) said Wednesday that he doesn’t expect his injured ankle to be a problem for training camp, according to Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com. The 23-year-old first-round pick has been taking reps in practice every day and plans to reclaim his starting role once fully cleared.

Alt spent the final weeks of the 2025 season on injured reserve after undergoing surgery on the ankle. His presence at OTAs this week signals a full recovery trajectory — and a major boost for a Chargers offensive line that struggled to protect quarterback Justin Herbert during his absence.

How Alt’s Injury Unfolded Last Season

The former Notre Dame standout originally suffered the ankle injury during the 2025 regular season and was carted off the field in visible pain. He was cleared to return in Week 8 but reaggravated the issue, eventually landing on IR and undergoing season-ending surgery. The Chargers went 3-4 in the games Alt missed down the stretch, a stretch where Herbert was sacked 18 times. That protection breakdown was a driving factor in the team’s late-season slide out of the AFC West playoff picture.

Looking at the tape from Alt’s rookie campaign before the injury, the film shows a tackle who quickly aced the transition from college left tackle to NFL right side. His pass-block win rate ranked in the top 15 among qualifying right tackles through Week 7, per Pro Football Focus metrics. Losing him didn’t just remove a starter — it removed the most technically refined linemen on the roster.

What Alt’s Recovery Means for the Offensive Line

Alt’s return gives head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive line coach Mike Devlin their preferred five-man unit heading into camp. Alt anchors the right side opposite Rashawn Slater at left tackle, forming what should be one of the conference’s most athletic tackle tandems. The Chargers invested the No. 5 overall pick in Alt during the 2024 NFL Draft, betting on his ability to be a decade-long fixture.

The numbers reveal a pattern the Chargers cannot ignore: with Alt on the field in 2025, Herbert’s time to throw averaged 2.8 seconds. Without it, that number dropped to 2.3 seconds, a difference that directly correlates with the spike in pressures and sacks. Based on available data, Alt’s availability is arguably the single most impactful variable on the Chargers’ offensive output this season.

Key Developments

• Alt was originally carted off with the ankle injury during the 2025 regular season before being cleared to return in Week 8
• He underwent season-ending surgery after reaggravating the injury post-Week 8 return
• Alt has been participating in Chargers OTAs every day during the current offseason program
• The 23-year-old was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame
• Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com first reported Alt’s comments about training camp readiness

What’s Next for Alt and the Chargers

If Alt enters camp at full strength, the Chargers‘ offensive line projects as a top-10 unit in the league. That matters enormously for a team that needs Herbert operating cleanly to maximize weapons like wide receiver Ladd McConkey and running back J.K. Dobbins. The front office built this line around Alt and Slater as the cornerstones, and any setback would force reliance on journeyman backups who lack Alt’s footwork and length.

There is a reasonable counterargument that the Chargers should manage Alt’s reps conservatively through camp to avoid any recurrence. Ankle injuries for linemen can linger, and the pivot demands of pass protection place enormous stress on that joint. Still, Alt’s own confidence — combined with daily practice participation — suggests the Chargers feel good about where things stand. Training camp begins in late July, giving Alt another six weeks of work before the real evaluation starts. For a franchise that hasn’t reached the Super Bowl since 1994, keeping their best young lineman healthy is the kind of quiet story that could define a season.