The Chargers built an offensive line to protect Justin Herbert. Two days before their first preseason game, it's already in ruins.
Starting center Tyler Biadasz tore his ACL during a joint practice with the 49ers, dealing a potentially season-altering blow to a Los Angeles team that spent the entire offseason trying to fix its battered front.
In brief
The Chargers' offensive line nightmare starts all over again
Tuesday's joint practice between the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers was supposed to be routine - some live reps, a little preseason buzz, nothing more. Instead, it produced the kind of scene that Chargers fans have watched play out with sickening regularity: a key lineman down, a cart on the field, and a season plan suddenly in tatters.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Chargers center Tyler Biadasz is out indefinitely after suffering damage to his ACL and additional injuries to his left knee during Tuesday's joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers. Biadasz, who underwent an MRI after suffering the injury, will meet with more doctors to try to get more clarity.
He went down after 49ers defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez fell into his leg during an 11-on-11 drill. Biadasz remained on the ground for nearly five minutes while being attended to by trainers before he was helped into a medical cart. He had to be carted off and could not put any weight on the leg. 'I don't know exactly what happened but hoping for the best for him,' quarterback Justin Herbert said.
This was supposed to be different. That's the bitter part.
A $30 million fix, gone in an instant
A six-year NFL veteran, Biadasz signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Chargers in March and was considered a key upgrade for an offensive line group that has perennially struggled to stay healthy. General manager Joe Hortiz went and got his guy - a former Pro Bowler, still only 28, released by Washington in a cost-cutting move - and built the interior around him.
Last season, Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending knee injury during training camp, then L.A. lost right tackle Joe Alt to a recurring ankle injury that cost him 11 games and ultimately required season-ending surgery. Amid those losses up front, star quarterback Justin Herbert was forced to play a heroic brand of football in 2025, managing to carry the Chargers to the postseason. Entering 2026, the top priority for the Chargers was obvious: solidify the offensive line and give Herbert time to propel this offense properly.
The numbers behind Herbert's 2025 season tell the full story of what that line put him through. Herbert faced quick pressure - within 2.5 seconds - on 177 dropbacks. No one else in the league faced more than 150. He went to the postseason anyway. Now, before a single regular-season snap, the wall they built around him has cracked again.
Biadasz arrived as the symbol of reliability that the Chargers desperately needed. Over the last five seasons, Biadasz played in 15 or more regular-season games for the Cowboys and Commanders, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2022.
Jake Slaughter steps in - ready or not
To general manager Joe Hortiz's credit, he attempted to prepare for a potentially disastrous scenario, spending a second-round pick on Florida center Jake Slaughter and using two sixth-round picks on additional linemen - Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey - in April's draft. For at least almost the entirety of the 2026 season, Slaughter will now start at center barring another move.
Slaughter has never played a regular-season NFL snap. He's a rookie. And now the protection of a franchise quarterback rests on his shoulders from Week 1.
The full extent of the ACL damage has not yet been established, meaning the Chargers have not officially ruled out a return during the 2026 season. However, the injury is expected to keep Biadasz out for a significant period, and a season-ending absence remains possible. The team issued a statement Wednesday saying Biadasz 'underwent imaging later in the day and is currently in the process of gathering additional opinions.'
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport also noted the Chargers added other veteran linemen in the offseason - Kayode Awosika and Cole Strange among them - but none were signed to anchor the position the way Biadasz was.
The injury bug that never seems to leave
The 49ers joint practice, with its live-action reps and high intensity, was the setting. But the Chargers' offensive line misfortune has been a fixture for years, not a fluke. Left tackle Rashawn Slater missed all of last year with a knee injury suffered days after he became the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history, and right tackle Joe Alt missed most of it with a high ankle sprain. The timing of Biadasz's injury - two days before the Chargers hosted the 49ers in the teams' second preseason game - is another reminder that this franchise's front-five issues go well beyond bad luck.
New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who arrived from Miami with a reputation for getting creative with protection schemes, now faces his first real test before the regular season has even begun. Herbert, for his part, will need to process the news quickly. The season opener is two weeks away.
Slaughter took his first reps at center Thursday. BoltBeat reported that it is a shame for Biadasz and an organization that banked on him to be able to compete for a title, and that hopefully Biadasz's injuries aren't severe enough to affect his 2027 availability.
That's where this stands: hoping next year isn't ruined too.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
