With nearly 30 players prepared to enter some form of free agency when the new League Year begins next month, a list that features several starters on both sides of the football, the Los Angeles Chargers obviously have a lot of decisions to make during this 2026 NFL offseason.
But those set to hit the market won't be the only players general manager Joe Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh will be focused on over the next few weeks, as the Bolts also have several cut candidates whose departures could add millions of dollars to the club's already ample amount of salary cap space.
Just to get this out of the way, two names you won't find on the list below are center Bradley Bozeman and guard Mekhi Becton, both of whom fall into that cut-candidate category. And the reason you won't see their names is that I've already made my case on why both are likely out the door.
Who you will see below is a blend of free agents and cut candidates who Harbaugh simply doesn't need back on the roster in 2026.
Trevor Penning, OL
The Chargers' offensive line took a big hit when Rashawn Slater went down with a season-ending injury training camp, and things got even worse when Joe Alt was lost for the year in Week 9, with the latter injury resulting in the Bolts making a trade with the New Orleans Saints for former first-rounder Trevor Penning.
Sadly, it took less than one game to realize that Hortiz basically threw away his 2027 sixth-round draft pick, as Penning was benched in his Los Angeles debut after allowing six pressures, including one sack, and getting penalized twice in a 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chargers have plenty of things to figure out on the O-line this offseason, but Penning doesn't need to be part of those plans.
Will Dissly, TE
It wasn't that long ago that I opined that tight end Tyler Conklin won't be back in 2026, and I'm thinking Will Dissly is out the door as well.
Yes, he had a solid first season with the Bolts in 2024, catching 50 passes for a career-high 481 yards with two touchdowns. But with the emergence of Oronde Gadsden II and Tucker Fisk surpassing him on the depth chart, Dissly's production dipped significantly this past year, as he tallied just 11 catches for 97 yards.
The 29-year-old still has one year remaining on his contract, but his 2026 cap number is $5.5 million, which is just far too high. The Chargers would take a dead cap hit of $1.5 million by releasing him, but they'd also save $4 million, so this is a pretty easy call to make. They can try to trade him, but nobody's likely to bite.
Bud Dupree, LB
With Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh set to become unrestricted free agents and Tuli Tuipulotu now eligible for an extension, the Chargers have a lot to concern themselves with when it comes to the edge position.
There's also the matter of Bud Dupree, who got a year added to his contract last June that could be worth up to $6 million. Mack, of course, may retire, and while the Bolts will likely do everything in their power to bring Oweh back, he may end up elsewhere.
But regardless of whether both return or both leave, Dupree, who turns 33 on February 12, seems like a prime cut candidate after his 54.8 overall PFF grade ranked 101st among 119 qualifying edge rushers. He's a decent depth piece at best at this point in his career, and Los Angeles can save $3.49 million by cutting him and would only take a dead cap hit of $250,000.
Otito Ogbonnia, DL
The Chargers have already made a move on the defensive line, as they inked Teair Tart to a new three-year deal worth up to $37.5 million, thus keeping him from entering free agency.
Otito Ogbonnia, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2022 draft with the 160th overall pick, is set to hit free agency as well, but he doesn't seem likely to receive a new deal, at least not in Los Angeles.
After starting every game for the Chargers in 2024, he didn't make a single start in 2025 and was limited to just nine games after an elbow injury kept him on injured reserve for nearly two months. Even when healthy, however, he didn't make much of an impact, and that statement pretty much sums up his entire four-year career thus far. It's time to move on.
JK Scott, P
This one might surprise some people, but the Chargers should seriously consider cutting punter JK Scott, whose $3.8 million cap hit ranks fifth at the position in 2026.
The Alabama alum has been with Los Angeles for four years now, and while he's consistently among the league leaders in hang time, giving his gunners ample time to get down the field, his length and consistency can be problematic at times, and he undoubtedly has issues with flipping the field.
Harbaugh likes to play the field-advantage game, and Scott simply isn't the best at that. His net average during the 2025 season was 41.4 yards, which ranked 18th in the NFL, and he only put 38.3 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line, ranking 21st.
Don't be surprised if Scott gets the boot (pun fully intended), and the Chargers go looking for someone with a bigger leg.