EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Another year. Another starting offensive lineman falling to the turf, clutching at an injured leg. Another cart out. Another key piece in front of quarterback Justin Herbert being driven to the sideline, toward uncertainty.

Those were the scenes Tuesday as the Los Angeles Chargers held a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers at The Bolt. On the seventh rep of practice for the first-team offense, starting center Tyler Biadasz suffered an apparent left leg injury. Left guard Kayode Awosika threw a 49ers defensive lineman into the back of Biadasz’s leg.

Biadasz went down immediately. Trainers came out and treated him for a couple of minutes. Biadasz was then helped onto a cart. He could not put any weight on his left leg.

It was all too familiar.

A little over a year ago, starting left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending left knee injury during a training camp practice. He, too, left the practice field on a cart. It was the start of a never-ending avalanche of offensive line injuries that ultimately derailed a promising season.

Coach Jim Harbaugh addressed reporters before Tuesday’s practice, so he was not available to provide any update on Biadasz’s status afterward.

“Obviously praying for the best,” Herbert said after practice.

The Chargers signed Biadasz to a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason after he spent the previous two seasons with the Washington Commanders. He was perhaps the biggest splash the Chargers made in free agency. He was expected to provide a massive upgrade over Bradley Bozeman, who provided subpar center play for the past two seasons.

Biadasz, with his ability to block on the move, is an ideal fit in new coordinator Mike McDaniel’s offensive scheme. Losing Biadasz for any significant stretch of time would dampen momentum for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

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The Chargers do, however, have a viable replacement on the roster: rookie second-round pick Jake Slaughter.

Slaughter replaced Biadasz at center with the first-team offense for the remainder of Tuesday’s practice. Slaughter had been working both at left guard and center during training camp. He played both spots in the Chargers’ preseason win over the Houston Texans last week. Slaughter had rotated in at left guard with the first-team offense. His snaps at center had come with the second team, because Biadasz was firmly entrenched as the starter.

When asked about Biadasz’s injury, Slaughter said: “That hurt me. He’s been nothing but a wonderful mentor. He’s been such a good leader in the room, helping me out, helping me see the big picture better. We’re just hoping and praying he’s in a good spot and it’s nothing too serious.”

Slaughter was exclusively a center in college at Florida, and some evaluators around the league believe that will be his best position in the NFL. The Chargers drafted him to initially compete for the starting left guard spot this season. But he was always going to be a long-term solution at center. Biadasz is under contract through 2028.

Now Slaughter’s opportunity as the Chargers’ starting center could come sooner than anticipated.

“I’d just take it as a blessing that I can help the team in any way I can,” Slaughter said of possibly becoming the starting center in the wake of Biadasz’s injury.

As Slaughter himself said after Tuesday’s practice, there was “good and bad” from his starting center reps against the 49ers.

Herbert and the Chargers offense had a particularly successful red zone period. They scored on four consecutive plays from the low red zone. Herbert found receiver Ladd McConkey twice in the end zone. The offensive line also cleared a big path for running back Omarion Hampton on a touchdown run.

They were less successful in the two-minute period. On a fourth down, Slaughter was beaten cleanly by 49ers defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa for a sack that ended the series. The Chargers struggled to block Odighizuwa all practice. He had at least three sacks.

Earlier in practice, while working at center with the second-team offense, Slaughter had two positive reps in the running game. He got to the second level on a Kimani Vidal run up the middle. He also helped create a lane for Keaton Mitchell with a pull block on an outside run to the left. In that same series, Slaughter got beaten by defensive lineman Sebastian Valdez on a Hampton run up the middle.

Slaughter also got beaten for a sack by defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. while at left guard. Overall, Slaughter has looked far more comfortable at center than at left guard during camp. Understandable, given it is his natural position.

“I thought he did great, to be able to step in as quickly as he did,” Herbert said of Slaughter’s center reps Tuesday. “He’s got a great feel for the offense, moves quickly. He’s a great pass protector. Obviously a tough situation, but I thought he did a great job today.”

Slaughter vowed to “adjust” after experiencing his first NFL joint practice.

“Any time you get to go out there and go mix it up and go compete, it’s what you live for as a ballplayer,” Slaughter said.

If Biadasz’s injury is as serious as it looked, Slaughter will get plenty of those opportunities in 2026.