After a big upset win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9, the 5-3 Pittsburgh Steelers are out to prove that they are contenders. But sometimes, you need to have a bit of luck on your side.
The Steelers have been fortunate that the Cincinnati Bengals have been without star quarterback Joe Burrow since early in the season, and that Ravens QB Lamar Jackson missed multiple games in the first half of the season with a hamstring injury. Now, Pittsburgh caught another break at the expense of the Los Angeles Chargers.
In Week 9, Chargers' star left tackle Joe Alt was carted off the field. It was quickly discovered that Alt required ankle surgery and would miss the rest of the 2025 season. This comes after LA has already been without two-time Pro Bowl tackle Rashawn Slater, who suffered a season-ending patellar tendon tear during training camp in July.
After the Alt injury, the Chargers' front office was content sitting on their hands ahead of a huge Sunday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The LA Chargers acquire OT Trevor Penning ahead of SNF matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Just before the sun set on the NFL trade deadline, the Chargers made a desperation trade move to acquire former first-round offensive tackle Trevor Penning from the New Orleans Saints.
Penning was a former 19th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Northern Iowa. But after the Saints took offensive tackles (Taliese Fuaga and Kelvin Banks Jr.) in the first round of back-to-back drafts in 2024 and 2025, Penning was forced to move to left guard.
For the Chargers, the plan is to try Penning at left tackle, according to head coach Jim Harbaugh. This was Penning's original position with the Saints, and it's where LA suddenly has a glaring hole after Joe Alt's injury. But Penning only has a few days to get up to speed with his new team.
When the Steelers come to town for Sunday Night Football, Penning will be tasked with containing edge rushers Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. And assuming T.J. Watt will be chipped and double-teamed often on the other side of the offensive line, Penning could be asked to handle Highsmith and Herbig in one-on-one situations often.
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This isn't an easy assignment for a struggling offensive lineman who has bounced around the offensive line and dealt with injuries in his first four NFL seasons. At 6'7'' and 325 pounds, Penning has a massive frame, and he tested as an excellent athlete—even running a blazing 4.89 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine.
Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to put it all together yet. Though his first six games in 2025, the big offensive lineman has a PFF grade of just 50.4, which ranks 66th out of 78 qualifying NFL guards.
Perhaps the switch back to offensive tackle will do him good, and he certainly landed on a more talented team after the NFL trade deadline. Now the Pittsburgh Steelers will look to exploit the Chargers' new offensive lineman after LA's desperation trade to salvage the tackle position.