Chargers Daily Links: Is Forrest Lamp really an option at left tackle?

Daniel Popper of The Athletic hosted one wrote up his most-recent mailbag yesterday and one of the last questions posed to him involved Forrest Lamp and the real prospects of him getting a shot at left tackle.

To my dismay, Popper was honest about his thoughts, and claimed he thinks the staff throwing Lamp’s name into the fold is just so they keep all options open and available.

“I don’t think Forrest Lamp is a legitimate candidate to start at left tackle. Telesco has mentioned him as an option. So has Steichen. But I just don’t buy it. If he was really in consideration, why did he barely even sniff a shot at left tackle last season after Russell Okung suffered a pulmonary embolism? The Chargers believed they would be contending for Super Bowl in 2019. They should have exhausted every option during training camp. But I could count on one hand the number of snaps Lamp got at left tackle in practices and preseason games. Instead it was pretty much Trent Scott’s job to lose from the get-go, and Lamp was firmly entrenched at guard.”

These are all true statements and realistic questions to ask. Lamp hasn’t been given the time of day at tackle no matter what the staff has said. The proof is in the pudding. My biggest fear is Lamp fading into irrelevancy - if he’s not already there - and the team never truly telling us what is going on with the once highly-touted prospect. Is he really just not as good as we all blew him up to be? Is it simply his injury history getting in the way every time he has a shot at earning a starting job?

I just don’t know. But I think it’s safe to say the left tackle spot is going to be between Trey Pipkins or Sam Tevi. I can’t see Scott having much of a chance and, as Popper mentioned earlier in his mailbag, Storm Norton is likely depth over true competition.

It sucks, but this might be the reality we all have to accept. Until something crazy happens, I’m assuming the left tackle spot will be filled in the least-splashy way possible.

Chargers News:

Jared Dubin discusses what the Bolts did right and wrong in this year’s draft (CBS Sports)

Jason Hirschhorn reports the Panthers singing former Chargers OG Michael Schofield (Sports Illustrated)

Jason Reed discusses Justin Herbert and other Chargers players who replaced team icons (Bolt Beat)

Gavino Borquez highlights Ohio State WR coach Brian Hartline and his amazing resume of producing NFL wide receivers (Chargers Wire)

Jason Reed looks back at the last five 23rd-overall picks (Bolt Beat)

NFL News:

Mike Florio looks at the best undrafted players of all time (Pro Football Talk)

Jordan Heck highlights how the Madden video game predicts the 2020 season to go (Sporting News)

Mike Chiari reports the most-recent rumors about DE Jadeveon Clowney (Bleacher Report)

Jenna Laine discusses how the Bucs should treat Tom Brady stemming from what his former teammates did (ESPN)

NFL 2020 schedule should release sometime next week (ESPN)