Jamaree Salyer wins game ball for Chargers in NFL starting debut
Former Georgia offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer made his first career NFL start on Sunday and made an immediate impact, getting a game ball for the Los Angeles Chargers in a 34-24 win over the Houston Texans. Head coach Brandon Staley recognized Salyer in the locker room after the game.
“Tough, rugged football team. No sacks today, ran the football, 414 yards, first start at left tackle,” Staley said. “Before I give it to him, this is his game ball but we know that it took a team for him to earn it. Jamaree Salyer.”
“I think your eyes are telling you the right thing,” Staley said in his postgame press conference when a reporter started off a question by saying that it looked like Salyer played well. “We didn’t give up a sack today and feel like anytime you can have 414 (yards) on the road and deal with the crowd noise. Like I said, he’s a stud. Calm, poise, strong, and his teammates did a great job for him too, but I’m really proud of him. He can build off of it. He’s really hard on himself, he’s going to look at the tape and realize he can play better, but now that he’s been out there – you know, Jerry Hughes is a really quality rusher. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He’s an outstanding player, and to be able to go out there and hold his own, it’s a good start for him.”
“He did an outstanding job,” Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert added. “He stepped in there and I felt the time that I had back in the pocket. For a guy to be able to step up in his first NFL game, first time playing, I thought he did an incredible job.”
Salyer, a former five-star recruit and No. 1-ranked interior offensive lineman, played in 13 of 14 games each of his first two seasons including a pair of starts at right tackle as a sophomore. The second of those came in the final game of the season, the Sugar Bowl, and gave Georgia fans a glimpse at what the future could look like without Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson around. Only when 2020 came around, Salyer had shifted over to the left side with no Cade Mays in the picture and no options emerging. There he started the first nine games of the season and become a centerpiece of the offensive line. Put simply, Salyer was just Georgia’s best offensive lineman. He wasn’t in his best position, but it’s where he was most helpful. And that’s exactly what Salyer did.
The same story was true in 2021 with Salyer once again starting every game he played in at left tackle. he was a Walter Camp Second-Team All-American, a Second-Team All-SEC player according to both the Associated Press and the league’s 14 coaches while also being voted by his teammates as one of the team’s four permanent captains for the season. Salyer had 10 “knockdown” blocks and surrendered no sacks during the season. Only twice did his man even hurry the quarterback.
In the spring, Salyer was one of 15 Bulldogs selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. Taken in the sixth round and No. 195 overall by the Chargers, Salyer joined an offensive line room that also invested in a first rounder, Zion Johnson. Salyer got his first career start in place of Rashawn Slater, who was placed on injured reserve this week.
