Chargers 90-in-90: OG Karsen Barnhart

Karsen Barnhart, in a way, has been the glue of the Michigan offensive line over the past two seasons. The Paw Paw, Michigan native played just about everywhere on the offensive line for the Wolverines, including starts 26 starts across three different positions since the start of the 2022 season.

As a freshman in 2019, Barnhart played in just two games at left guard. He then played in all six games during the 2020 season with four starts coming at left tackle. Two more starts came at left guard in 2021 but Barnhart was still looking for that full-time starting job with the Wolverines.

In 2022, it finally came. Across 10 games played, Barnhart started nine contests with one coming at left tackle and eight at right tackle. He earned his first postseason accolade, being name an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. Barnhart capped off his career with a 15-start, national championship campaign where he contributed starts at left tackle (four), right tackle (eight), and right guard (three). He earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and third team honors from the media.

Following the 2024 NFL Draft, Barnhart signed a UDFA contract with the Chargers.

Basic Info

Height: 6’5
Weight: 316
College: Michigan
Experience: Rookie
Years with team: Zero

Contract Status

“Karsen Barnhart signed a 3 year , $2,845,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including $15,000 signing bonus, $115,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $948,333. In 2024, Barnhart will earn a base salary of $795,000 and a signing bonus of $15,000, while carrying a cap hit of $800,000 and a dead cap value of $115,000.” - Spotrac.com

The Good

You can never discount a player with notable experience and versatility. Played right away at a power like Michigan. Was the ultimate teammate. Nothing flashy. Simply got the job done in the trenches and worked very hard to complete double teams.

Good fundamentals in pass protection. Does not lean or overextend. Mirrors patiently with good effort.

The Bad

Underwhelming athlete who isn’t as physically-dominant as you’d want from a player who just helped Michigan run their way to a national title. Was the worst of the starting five. Played mainly tackle despite being a guard prospect through and through which hurts his experience in the short-term. Michigan offense helped hide physical shortcomings on the edge.

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2024?

We all knew Jim Harbaugh would find a way to land one of his offensive lineman around draft time and it was a bit unfortunate to see his center go sign as a UDFA with the 49ers over the Chargers. Still, they landed Barnhart, but as I said above, he was the worst of the five. The Chargers will keep 9-10 linemen and I don’t see how Barnhart wins a job over better players in Jordan McFadden and Jamaree Salyer. Brenden Jaimes is in that discussion too, but there’s a chance his versatility is more valuable to Harbaugh than Jaimes’. In the end, I see Barnhart being a stash on the practice squad as he develops with his former college coach.