The offensive tackle position for the Chargers continues to be one of the biggest concerns this summer, as there’s a chance that left tackle Russell Okung could miss some time to start the 2019 season.
In Okung’s absence, Sam Tevi and Trent Scott have swapped at both tackle spots with the first-team. It’s safe to say that they’ve had their fair share of ups and downs, but it’s uncertain that they will be able to play with the same level of consistency during the regular season.
Rookie Trey Pipkins has appeared to struggle adapting to the NFL level early on, and it’s unlikely that he will garner any attention to start this year.
There have been a variety of scenarios drawn out, including free agent and trade options to fill the void. But one that has yet to be brought up is an in-house scenario, which involves trying Forrest Lamp out at tackle.
Lamp, the former second-round selection, has been limited to just 17 snaps in his two seasons. His career got off to an unfortunate start as he suffered a torn ACL early on during his rookie training camp. He wasn’t able to take the field until right before the 2018 season, making it difficult for the team to find a role for Lamp within their offensive line.
Now healthy and eager to crack the starting lineup, Lamp has been a standout at both guard positions thus far. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get an opportunity to play tackle, though.
The former Western Kentucky product was exclusively the Hilltopper’s left tackle from 2014-2016, but was moved inside due to his average height and arm length.
Earlier this offseason, coach Anthony Lynn said that he’s comfortable with Lamp at guard but wants to develop his versatility as a tackle so that way he could be ready on game days.
In each of his three collegiate seasons, Lamp was one of the most elite tackles in college football, showing dominant tape against LSU and Alabama. He ranked in the top 10 in both overall and pass-blocking grade, while ranking in the top 10 in run-blocking grade in two of those three seasons, per Pro Football Focus.
Lamp’s strength in college was his pass-blocking ability, which is the team’s biggest weakness. While we cannot guarantee Lamp will show the same dominance outside like he did years ago, we can certainly say that he would be a considerable upgrade over Scott, Tevi and Pipkins, whether that’s at left or right tackle.
