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Third-year wide receiver Quentin Johnston was carted off the field after taking a big hit during the Chargers’ opening drive against the Rams in a preseason game at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.

Johnston was trying to haul in a pass from quarterback Justin Herbert when he was hit by Rams safety Tanner Ingle.

After staying down on the field for several minutes, Johnston stood up and was walking under his own power and talking to trainers and doctors before getting onto a cart and leaving the field.

Rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith took over for Johnston on the drive.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh elected to play most of his starters Saturday. Along with Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen, Johnston is expected to play a leading role in the Chargers’ passing game this season after recording 55 catches for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024.

Rashawn Slater, the Chargers’ star left tackle who became the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history last month, sustained a torn patellar tendon in practice and will undergo season-ending surgery, the team announced Thursday.

Slater went down in team drills after going up against edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu. As Slater planted his left foot, he collapsed to the ground and immediately grabbed his leg.

A quiet hush fell over the Chargers’ facility while Slater stayed down for several minutes before trainers and teammates helped him onto a cart. Slater appeared visibly distraught — throwing his helmet, slamming his hand on the cart and burying his face in his hands. Several teammates walked over to console him before he left the field.

Two trainers supported him as he entered the team facility. He was unable to put any weight on his left leg.

“I didn’t really see anything — I kind of just turned around and boom,” Tuipulotu said of the play. “We’re praying for him.”

The injury is a significant setback for a Chargers team that was hoping to have Slater anchor an offensive line that was hampered by injuries and struggled, at times, to create opportunities for the running game last season. The injury comes as the Chargers are already dealing with depth concerns along the line, with Mekhi Becton being sidelined since July 28 because of an undisclosed injury.

Slater played a valuable role in helping the Chargers set a franchise record for the fewest offensive turnovers (eight) in a season. He also finished 2024 with the second-best overall grade and the third-best pass-blocking grade at offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus.

Joe Alt slid over to left tackle for the remainder of practice Thursday. Trey Pipkins III subbed in at right tackle — where he started in 2022 and 2023 — before spending most of last season at right guard, starting 15 games. With Slater out, Alt likely will be Justin Herbert’s blindside protector this season.

Slater signed a four-year, $113-million contract extension on July 27 that included $92 million guaranteed. The guaranteed amount is the most ever for an NFL offensive lineman.

Allen happy to be back

Keenan Allen always envisioned a return to the Chargers. Once his brief stint with the Chicago Bears ended, he saw himself coming back to the franchise that drafted him.

“It was close to home and family,” Allen said. “This is what I’m used to. The organization, the people around the building — it just feels like home.”

Thursday marked Allen’s first day back in powder blue and gold — a welcome sight for fans who watched his climb over 11 seasons.

On his first snap of full-team drills, Allen hauled in a strike over the middle from Justin Herbert, reigniting a familiar connection that lasted four seasons.

The two began rebuilding their chemistry last Friday, when Herbert threw to Allen during a private workout. Allen said they stayed in touch throughout the process leading up to his return.

Allen said he missed being on the receiving end of Herbert’s throws and is “just happy to be back.”

“This is where I’m supposed to be,” Allen said.

He is the veteran leader of a receiving room that looks much different than the one he left, with Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis the only holdovers from two seasons ago.

“[It’s] much better than what I’m used to seeing in a training camp this early,” Allen said of his first impressions. “The technique, the way they’re getting downfield, the way they’re pressing coverages — I think it looks great.”

Allen shared how impressed he’s been with Ladd McConkey, who broke his franchise rookie receiving records, joking, “He had a few more games.”

“You’ve got two guys who love to play football and compete,” said Allen, on sharing the field with McConkey. “You can put us anywhere. … And obviously, he showed that last year.”

Throughout the offseason, Allen felt teams “downplayed” his value. Entering his 13th season, he’s out to prove he can still perform at a high level at 33.

“Still got a little hunger, little chip on my shoulder and still want to go out there and play ball,” Allen said.

John Elway won’t be charged in the death of his business partner back in April.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco confirmed what he told the Times two months ago: His department’s investigation into the golf cart incident that led to the death of the Hall of Fame quarterback’s close friend Jeff Sperbeck found nothing criminal. Bianco described it as a tragic accident.

Bianco said in May that it appeared “nothing nefarious” happened when Sperbeck fell from a moving golf cart that Elway was driving in the Madison Club community of La Quinta on April 26 about 6:50 p.m. The 62-year-old San Clemente resident hit his head and was pronounced dead at 1:10 a.m. April 30 at Desert Regional Medical Center, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“We have not learned anything that would indicate that this is anything other than a tragic accident,” Bianco told the Times in a phone interview May 2.

Bianco told Denver TV station 9NEWS that the investigation has concluded and that Elway will not be charged.

Elway, Sperbeck and their wives were in the Coachella Valley to attend the Stagecoach country music festival. Sperbeck was standing in the back of the cart when he fell off and hit his head on the asphalt, Bianco said.

The cart was designed for two to four people, according to Bianco. Five people including Sperbeck, Elway and their wives were in it at the time of the incident.

On April 30, Elway said in a statement that “there are no words to truly express the profound sadness I feel with the sudden loss of someone who has meant so much to me.

“I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken by the passing of my close friend, business partner and agent Jeff Sperbeck,” Elway stated. “Jeff will be deeply missed for the loyalty, wisdom, friendship and love he brought into my life and the lives of so many others.”

Sperbeck represented more than 100 NFL players — including Elway beginning in 1990 — in 30 years as an agent and business advisor. Sperbeck and Elway later founded 7Cellars winery.

Sperbeck attended Jesuit High School in Sacramento and played quarterback at Sacramento City College in 1981 and 1982 before transferring to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He is survived by his wife, Cori, three children he shared with his first wife, Anne — Carly, 33, Samantha, 31, and Jackson, 27 — and granddaughters Josie and Bo.

Elway starred at Granada Hills High and Stanford before playing 16 seasons for the Denver Broncos, leading the team to five Super Bowls. The Broncos won the Super Bowl in Elway’s last two seasons, 1997 and 1998. He later served as the team’s general manager and executive vice president.

Times staff writer Chuck Schilken contributed to this story.