While most of attention will be on Chicago Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams this season, there’ll also be a lot of expectations hanging on Los Angeles Chargers’ Joe Alt when the new campaign starts. The thing is, there’s going to be a lot of challenges along the way for the young offensive tackle.
Before Alt turned pro, he attended Totino-Grace High School and offensive tackle and tight end there. He then committed to play college football at the University of Notre Dame.
As a true freshman at Notre Dame in 2021, Alt started 13 games at left tackle. In 2023, his final college season, he was a finalist for the Outland Trophy and was unanimously named to the 2023 College Football All-America Team. Following that successful season, Alt declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Los Angeles Chargers selected Alt with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Shortly after, he signed a four-year, $33.2 million rookie contract with the Chargers that included a $20.9 million signing bonus.
Alt comes from an athletic family – his father, John Alt, played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, and his older brother, Mark Alt, is a professional ice hockey player. With his impressive college credentials and NFL draft position, Joe Alt is poised to continue the family’s rich athletic legacy as he begins his professional football career with the Chargers.
The Reason Why Los Angeles Chargers’ Joe Alt Is Poised for Difficult Rookie Season
In less than a month, Alt will make his NFL debut for the Chargers. According to Ryan Fowler for Bleacher Report, though, the Los Angeles rookie has a difficult path ahead of him this season.
“It’s not easy to start at tackle in the NFL. It’s even tougher to switch spots along the offense line and start as a rookie. For Joe Alt, a move from left to right tackle will undoubtedly see the first-rounder run into a few speed bumps along the way.
An All-American during his time at Notre Dame, Alt accrued 2,178 career snaps along the offensive line – not one came at right tackle.
While the transition in adjusting his alignment, technique and angles will see Alt learn on the fly during game action, his ability to protect Justin Herbert’s arm side will hold weight in Los Angeles meeting expectations offensively this fall.
Alt’s ability to play to his full potential opposite of left tackle Rashawn Slater could quickly showcase one of the NFL’s premier tackle tandems,” Fowler wrote.
The Chargers are entering a new era with Jim Harbaugh as their head coach, and general manager Joe Hortiz. They will have new starters at key offensive positions, while their defense returns most of its starters, including Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
Los Angeles is slated to open the 2024 NFL season against the Las Vegas Raiders on September 8th at the SoFi Stadium. By then, fans will see how Alt will adjust to life in the league and whether the challenges ahead will get the better of him.
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