COSTA MESA — Storm Norton stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 317 pounds. He played all 17 games at right tackle for the Chargers last season, starting 15. He is entering his fourth season in the NFL, having played all but one of 24 games with the Chargers, who signed him as a free agent in 2020.
Trey Pipkins III stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 307 pounds. He played 12 games at right tackle for the Chargers last season, starting two. He is entering his fourth season in the NFL. having played all 38 of his games with the Chargers, who drafted him in the third round in 2019.
Norton, 28, was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. He was an all-state lineman at Whitmer High School and then was named an all-conference lineman at the University of Toledo before making his NFL debut as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. He became a starter with the Chargers in 2021.
Pipkins, 25, was born in Winfield, Illinois, and attended Apple Valley High School in Minnesota before playing collegiately at the University of Sioux Falls, an NCAA Division II school in South Dakota. He was named a Division II All-American in his senior year in 2018.
So, now you know a little about the players locked in a bruising training camp battle for the Chargers’ starting right tackle position, one of the most compelling so far. How it ends and who wins might not be settled before the Chargers’ regular season-opening game Sept. 11.
Their battle might carry on well into the regular season, and Chargers coach Brandon Staley said he was OK with that. If there was a lack of clarity going into the Chargers’ exhibition game Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium, that was just fine with Staley, too.
Some elements of their competition have become clear, though.
“My evaluation is that they are both much better football players than they were last season,” Staley said. “That is a fact. Then, where that lies, in terms of the order, we’re not there yet to make a decision. They’re going to play in this football game (Saturday) and we’re going to continue to evaluate it until we feel like we’re ready. But I will tell you that both of them are improved football players.
“I’m really proud of the way they’ve improved.”
Whoever wins the battle – assuming one outperforms the other eventually and they don’t end up in a rotation, which Staley said would be acceptable, too – Norton and Pipkins will have one of the most important jobs on the squad. All of the offensive linemen must protect Justin Herbert.
Apart from the right tackle spot, the rest of the line appears to be settled. Rashawn Slater is locked in at left tackle, with Matt Feiler at left guard, Corey Linsley at center and rookie Zion Johnson, the Chargers’ first-round draft pick, at right guard. Gerald Everett is likely to start at tight end.
Norton and Pipkins played three series and two, respectively, in the Chargers’ 29-22 exhibition loss last Saturday to the Rams, and it’s expected they’ll play a similar number Saturday against the Cowboys. Both players, and each of the offensive linemen who played against the Rams, earned praise from Staley.
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“I thought that our offensive line played really well in the game,” Staley said earlier in the week. “I thought you saw it through the production that was spread out throughout the skill players. I thought that both quarterbacks moved the team, and that was a result of good O-line play.
“They both got a fair amount (of snaps). They were solid all night. They did their job well, blocked their guy. I thought they provided a real lift to the younger guys that they were playing with. I thought both of them performed well. Our whole O-line, I really liked how our whole O-line played.”
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Staley said safety Mark Webb Jr. had a calf injury and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor had what he described as a “soft tissue” injury. It was uncertain whether Webb would play against the Cowboys. Staley said he hoped Taylor would be sound enough to play, but it would be a game-time decision.
“We just wanted to make sure (Taylor) had a chance to play in the game,” Staley said of sitting out Taylor for Thursday’s joint practice with Dallas at Jack Hammett Sports Complex. “He might play in the game. To have a chance to play in the game, we wanted to rest him (Thursday).”