Alt, meanwhile, suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 against the Giants but returned in Week 9 against the Vikings. His presence lasted only two games as he further injured the ankle in Week 9.
The second injury knocked him out for the remainder of the 2025 season.
“It was pretty much what you guys saw. I [messed] my ankle up pretty good in all facets. It was a tough blow but we bounced back,” Alt said.
He later added: “It was everything you could do to an ankle … I did it, pretty much.”
Alt was superb in the six games he started, ranking sixth among all tackles with a pass-blocking grade of 82.3. The Chargers went 5-1 in games where Alt started, with the lone loss coming in Week 4 when he was injured after playing just 10 snaps.
Those six stellar games were enough to earn him his first Pro Bowl nod.
“Extremely grateful,” Alt said. “Thankful to everyone who voted for me. It was definitely a surprise at the time … for me it’s just gratitude and wanting to get healthy.”
Alt said his rehab “has been going really well” and that he is confident it won’t affect his offseason training.
“Every day has been getting better and better. Out of the boot now, so close to where I want to be,” Alt said.
The hope, of course, is that Alt and Slater both return to full strength and bookend a Chargers offensive line that will look for more consistency in 2026.
Slater said Monday that he already has high expectations for the unit.
“We’ve got a good group, you know? We do. We really do,” Slater said. “Me and [Joe] going down, it hurt.
“But still the way this team fought and battled and made it as far as it did, with completely unforeseen things like that, I love this team,” Slater added. “We’ve got a team full of warriors, a team full of competitors. I’m excited. I’m very excited.”
Alt also echoed that sentiment in the locker room, saying there’s already a fire burning inside him to help the Chargers offense next season.
“I’m guessing he does. And I know I do,” Alt said. “You want to be on the field. That’s my favorite part of this.
“Not being out there was really tough and there’s a fire to be back out there,” Alt added.
The Chargers will have a new offensive coordinator next season.
But the nucleus of the offense, led by Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert, remains on the roster.
First-round running back Omarion Hampton showed plenty of promise as a rookie before an ankle injury set him back while fellow rookies Tre’ Harris and Oronde Gadsden each flashed a rapport with Herbert.
Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston have each flashed big-play ability early in their careers, too.
And the return of Slater and Alt could do wonders as the Bolts look for more success in Year 3 under Jim Harbaugh.
“It was obviously tough on both of us,” Alt said. “Being able to go through that together and have each other to lean on, we’ve made it our own competition in the recovery room.
“Just try to make a game out of it because it’s tough being out,” Alt added. “Being able to battle with each other and battle back has been a lot of fun.”
Slater said: “I love ball. This is like what I do every single day. I don’t really go on vacation much. I kind of just work out all the time and think about playing football, so it wasn’t fun. It wasn’t easy, but I’m just excited for the future. I can’t really control what happened, just doing everything I can to make sure that next year is better.”
