Justin Herbert smiled when the question was posed to him.
After all, there's always a distinct bond between a quarterback and his left tackle.
It's no different with Herbert and Rashawn Slater.
"Rashawn is such a great teammate, great locker room guy," Herbert said. "He's competitive, very smart, very intelligent.
"He's a very good chess player as well. He takes a lot of pride in his chess game," Herbert said.
And who has the upper hand there?
Herbert managed another smile.
"We've played a lot of games. I think the record right now is definitely favored towards him," Herbert said. "I'll continue to improve and watch the film and get better."
NFL players fill their free time a variety of ways throughout the season.
For Slater, that has meant an increased passion for chess.
"Really this past year I've been taking it more seriously and trying to get better. There's a handful of guys [in the locker room] that play," Slater said while mentioning Herbert, himself, Tuli Tuipulotu and Joey Bosa. "We're accumulating a little chess squad a little bit."
Slater then divulged what exactly he loves about the board game.
"It's fun to calculate and learn from your mistakes," Slater said. "It's an easy way to track your progress because you have a score and that goes up if you do well over time.
"Strategy-wise, it just forces you to be very present and be in the moment and think two or three moves ahead. If you get distracted at all, you can make a stupid mistake," Slater continued. "It's kind of like football, you just have to give yourself to the moment. I just love it. It's almost like mental practice."
He later added: "People compare to football to chess all the time, even with the O-line. It's a chess match between you and your guy and everyone has an expectation of what is going to happen. But the skills you have as a player, you can change the looks you present to them and try to keep them guessing so that they don't get into a rhythm. I'm probably better at football than I am at chess, but they are similar."
The group of Chargers who play chess together do so online.
Slater is undoubtedly the best with a score above 1,200, even if the 25-year-old deflected attention towards it.
"It's very amateur," Slater said with a laugh. "It's good if you don't play chess. I would get crushed if I went to a tournament."
While Slater keeps his mind sharp off the field, he's been the one crushing the opposition on the gridiron.
A first-round pick by the Bolts in the 2021 NFL Draft, Slater is having his best season as a pro this season. Yes, that includes his rookie year when he was a Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro.
According to Pro Football Focus, Slater has an overall grade of 91.4 this season.
That ranks second among all NFL tackles in the league. Not second in the AFC. Second among every player at his position.
For reference, Slater was a Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro as a rookie in 2021. His PFF grade that season was 83.6.
And his PFF pass-blocking grade of 90.2 this season ranks third among all tackles so far this season.
To put it succinctly, Slater is having an elite season. And he's doing so while oftentimes playing on an island.
According to recent data compiled by PFF, the Chargers have relied on Slater to individually shut down his man just over 60 percent of the time. The left tackle has responded by posting a higher grade than expected according to PFF's numbers.
"That's what you try to do with a premier left tackle," Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said. "It's like a great corner … match him up on this guy and shove the coverage over here.
"A great tackle, you can match him up on that guy and divert the protection elsewhere," Roman added. "It's a huge, huge, huge benefit."
Left guard Zion Johnson, who lines up next to Slater, added: "He's playing some of his best ball right now. He comes in, gets to work every day, focuses on attention to detail. He's just the model of what an O-lineman should be. He brings the best out of everybody with his approach to the game and that just raises the expectations for all of us."
Joe Alt, the Chargers right tackle, said being left on an island is viewed as an honor for players at their position.
"That's the ultimate compliment," Alt said. "Every tackle's dream is to be in that position. It shows the coaches trust you and allow you to go do your job 1-on-1."
Slater concurred but said he's not looking for any personal acclaim for simply doing his job as an anchor in the trenches.
"I definitely enjoy the challenge," Slater said. "That's kind of how you get your reputation as a tackle with those 1-on-1 matchups. I definitely don't shy away from them."
Slater added: "I don't take that lightly at all. With the way [Herbert] approaches the game and the person he is, I want to give absolutely everything I have to make him feel as comfortable as possible. That's the type of guy you fight for. I love playing with these guys."
Slater has also lent his expertise to Alt, the Bolts No. 5 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While Slater ranks second among all tackles with his PFF grade, Alt currently lands at 18th. The rookie credited Slater for helping him get up to speed in the NFL with their weekly pos-practice drills in which they talk through and mimic an opposing edge rusher.
Often times, Slater and Alt are off on their own while teammates head to the locker and weight rooms.
"It's taught me a ton," Alt said. "Rashawn being able to have so much experience and being right there with me and being able to watch the film has been such a big help for me.
"It's allowed me to see what things in my game I need to work and what things I'm trying different that don't need to be added," Alt added.
Slater's stellar season has come on the heels of a pair of disappointing campaigns in his mind.
Slater tore his biceps three games into the 2022 season and missed the rest of the year. In 2023, an ankle injury hampered him for parts of the year.
Slater said he isn't surprised when his name doesn't come up among the best tackles in the game.
"I don't blame anybody," Slater said. "I didn't play my best football last year and then the year before I was hurt. It is what it is.
"My goal has always been to have a long career," Slater added. "I know where I'm headed and I feel good about the future. That's all I can really control anyway."
Earlier this season, Chargers offensive line coach Mike Devlin noted what makes Slater such a consistently good player.
"I think he's a master technician with he approaches the game," Devlin said. "I think his thought process and he's really mentally tough and strong, but he's a pro's pro. He's consistently doing everything right every day."
Hmm, that sounds a little like a good chess player, no?
Slater laughed when told of Devlin's comments, making a slight suggestion of his own.
"In chess it's called a 'tactician,'" Slater quipped.
No matter how you slice it, there's no doubt Slater has been one of the NFL's best offensive linemen this year … and that he's a key reason why the Chargers are 8-5 and focused on locking in a playoff spot in the coming weeks.
For Slater, he'll continue to try and keep dominating on the field while honoring his craft on the chess board when he can.
"You have personal goals and all of that. But the best part is that we're winning games," Slater said. "Moreso than ever now, I'm just happy to win. That's No. 1 by far and will look better than anything else.
He added: "It's just a lot of fun with this team and the way we go to work. I'm far from the perfect player. The fun of it all is just that I get to go and try to get better every single week."
