Slater eager for homecoming game against the Texans
Rashawn Slater grew up a Houston Texans fan and attended games at NRG Stadium, but he never got to play on the Texans’ field while in high school.
Slater will play his first game at NRG Stadium on Sunday when the Chargers face the Texans, and the hometown kid will get to do it as a Pro Bowl starter.
On Wednesday, Slater became the first rookie offensive tackle to be selected for the Pro Bowl since Matt Kalil (USC) did it in 2012 with the Minnesota Vikings. Also, Slater joined former Charger Marcus McNeill as the only offensive tackles in NFL history not drafted in the top 10 to be named Pro Bowlers as rookies.
Slater wasn’t a top-10 pick, but it didn’t take long for him to hear his name at the NFL draft after the Chargers selected him with the 13th overall pick.
“It means a lot to me honestly,” Slater said Thursday, the day after the Pro Bowl rosters were announced. “For me, the biggest thing is it means I got the respect of the fans, players and coaches, which to me is a huge deal and a huge honor. Obviously, the goal was to be busy that week, preparing for the Super Bowl, but still, it was a great feeling and I’m excited to keep building.”
Based on Slater’s high school experience, the odds were against him becoming a first-round NFL draft pick. Slater never played any high school postseason games at NRG Stadium because he only won a combined three varsity games during his time at Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas.
Slater wasn’t highly recruited before deciding to play for Northwestern. Slater improved working with Northwestern offensive line coach Kurt Anderson and took his game to the next level after training with Duke Manyweather during the offseasons.
Slater joined the Chargers as a polished offensive tackle and learned how to succeed in the NFL from Chargers offensive line coach Frank Smith and assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett. Slater also received pointers from veteran offensive line teammates Bryan Bulaga, Corey Linsley and Matt Feiler.
“I’ve just had so many great people around me who have been guiding me in that direction, realizing what it takes at this level,” Slater said. “Like what you got to do to succeed. Bryan, when I first got here was such a huge help to me. Just teaching me like this is what you got to do at tackle in the NFL if you want to win.”
Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said it’s rare for a rookie offensive tackle to start in the NFL, let alone start in a Pro Bowl. Lombardi compared Slater to Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead, a three-time Pro Bowler, but Armstead only started two games as a rookie.
“From Day 1, I think we could see Rashawn was ready to go in and play,” Lombardi said. “That’s rare. And, you know, just the way he approaches the game. His whole makeup lends itself to a guy that you’re gonna be able to rely on for a long time.”
Heading into the draft, Slater was labeled as a technician with a competitive edge. That quickly showed in training camp when Slater welcomed facing Chargers star edge rusher Joey Bosa during practices and sought his advice for feedback.
Slater used his success against Bosa as a confidence boost going into his first NFL season. Slater has proven himself against the NFL’s best edge rushers and many opponents have avoided his side of the field by placing their top edge rushers on the right tackle.
Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson was able to get a sack against Slater when they faced each other in Week 13, but that didn’t stop Hendrickson from praising Slater after the game. Slater has only allowed four sacks this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
“For me, getting respect from my peers means so much to me,” Slater said. “Coming in as a rookie and hearing it from other players always means so much because they go through the same thing and they know what they are talking about as much as anyone.”
Slater quickly won over Chargers fans when he said after being drafted that his No. 1 priority was to protect quarterback Justin Herbert.
He’s done that and now gets to return home Sunday with his NFL career off to a tremendous start.
“It’s a really cool opportunity,” Slater said of playing in Houston. “It’s something that I’ve looked at since I got drafted and saw the schedule that we would be here on Christmas. It’s a cool opportunity just growing up a Texans fan and being able to go out there and play around family on Christmas.”
COVID list grows to 12
The Chargers placed backup kicker Tristan Vizcaino on the COVID-19 reserve list on Thursday.
Vizcaino, who is on the practice squad, was the team’s starting kicker for six games before losing his job to Dustin Hopkins.
The Chargers’ virus list now stands at 12 total players – 11 of them on the 53man roster. The Texans extended their COVID-19 list to 22 players (21 from their active roster).
Derwin misses practice
Chargers safety Derwin James missed another practice on Thursday.
James, w12ho is dealing with a hamstring injury, did drills on the side of the field during the portion of practice that was open to the media.