The Chargers have decisions to make on their roster before free agency opens in March. More than a few cut candidate players may have played their last downs in Los Angeles. Opening up cap space with these moves will also be a focus for the Chargers.
With some of these cut decisions, Joe Hortiz can open up nearly $30 million in usable cap space. The Chargers are third in available cap space with $82.9 million.
If they want to be market setters for someone like C Tyler Linderbaum or internal EDGE free agent Odafe Oweh, these cuts will help them. Truthfully, some of these listed players simply don’t fit with the team anymore outside of financial reasons.
Which players might’ve taken their last snaps with the Chargers?
RG Mekhi Becton: $12.2 million cap hit in 2026, $9.7 million saved with cut.
This is a fairly obvious one. Mekhi Becton’s season was a disappointment from a performance standpoint. He allowed 39 pressures on just 239 pass blocking snaps. His run blocking and pass blocking PFF grades hit career lows.
Becton also struggled to stay on the field as he needed to come off the field for several injury-based reasons during the season. An illness in Week 1, a chronic knee issue and a hand injury forced several different right guards to play in Becton’s spot. He also missed three weeks of training camp with the aforementioned knee issue.
Becton publicly voiced his frustrations with the coaching staff on multiple occasions. After the Jaguars game, he felt he wasn’t being “allowed” to play after several instances of exiting games due to injury. After the season, Becton admitted to not being "comfortable" in Greg Roman's offense.
The Chargers knew they were taking a risk when they gave Becton a contract coming off of his Eagles' season. It's why his deal was structured to be cuttable after just one year with less guaranteed money. Becton hired new agent representation during the 2025 season. Assistant GM Chad Alexander was Jets Director of Player Personnel when Becton was drafted in 2020.
Both sides wish the partnership was more effective in 2025, but it seems like a parting of ways is probably for the best.
% chance of cut: 100%
C Bradley Bozeman: $6.9 million cap hit in 2026, $5.9 million saved with cut.
Bradley Bozeman was brought to the Chargers in free agency during Joe Hortiz's first offseason in 2024. At the time, the Chargers had a terrible cap situation. The organizational familiarity with Bozeman from his time in Baltimore made sense given the teams' limited resources.
But then the Chargers decided to run it back when they had a healthier cap situation in 2025. Whether they would say it publicly or not, it was a massive mistake by the front office. Most notably, Harbaugh and Hortiz opted not to discuss Bozeman's most recent season at their last media availability.
They also praised Keenan Allen's season while not discussing player performance in relation to either Becton or Bozeman. This differed from Harbaugh praising Bozeman's availability in toughness in the 2024 season-ending presser.
Bozeman had the worst starting season of his career in both pressures allowed (36) and pass-blocking efficiency (97.1). He had a career low PFF run-blocking grade of 50.0.
He's not really a scheme fit for Mike McDaniel's zone-based concepts. Even in the event where he was just a backup, his $6.9 million cap hit would still be the tenth highest at the center position. As with Becton, it's just time to move on and rebuild the starting interior.
% chance of cut: 85%
TE Will Dissly: $5.5 million cap hit in 2026, $4 million saved with cut.
Will Dissly fell out of the rotation for the Chargers this season. He was a healthy scratch until TE Tucker Fisk got injured and had to go on IR. Prior to the season, Dissly played in the preseason Hall of Fame game while Tyler Conklin didn't. Perhaps that should've been an indicator of where the coaching staff realistically viewed him on the roster.
Dissly led the team in TE receiving yards in 2024 with 481. Last season, Dissly put up 97 yards on just 16 targets. He was phased out from a receiving standpoint by rookie TE Oronde Gadsden II. With blocking, the coaching staff clearly favored Tucker Fisk and Scott Matlock.
On special teams, Tyler Conklin was largely higher in the rotation throughout the season. Whichever way you slice it, there just isn't a role for Dissly anymore.
As the Chargers rebuild their TE room around Gadsden, it's clear that Dissly is not in their 2026 plans. There's also fairly good tight end talent available in both free agency and the draft.
% chance of cut: 80%
EDGE Bud Dupree: $3.7 million cap hit in 2026, $3.49 million saved with cut.
The Chargers extended Bud Dupree last summer as a depth piece in their EDGE room. It remains a really perplexing move. Neither Dupree nor rookie Kyle Kennard were active against the Patriots in the Wild Card game. Dupree played 20+ snaps just once after the BYE week. It came in Week 18 when both Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu were inactive vs. Denver.
Do the Chargers have to cut Dupree from a cost perspective? Not really. But there's not much of an extensive special teams role for him and he had his lowest pass rush production since 2016. Even if Mack or Odafe Oweh were to leave in free agency, Dupree doesn't seem like he'd be part of the replacement plan.
Maybe the Chargers will value his veteran presence, but keeping Dupree would be doubling down on an extension that shouldn't have been signed. Even if he's not cut in March, it's hard to see a world where he's on roster following training camp.
% chance of cut: 50%
P JK Scott: $3.8 million cap hit in 2026, $2.85 million saved with cut.
JK Scott was 12th in punter EPA over expected last season. On a technical level, most of his season wasn't bad. But Scott cost the Chargers twice in fairly big spots with shanks vs. Houston and New England.
Competition options are out there if the Chargers want to push Scott off of the roster. Dolphins punter Jake Bailey could come to LA with McDaniel. Syracuse punter Jack Stonehouse would fit the hang time specifications of Ryan Ficken's special teams unit.
While they could cut Scott in March, this situation is more likely to be resolved in training camp.
% chance of cut (in March): 35%
Possible cuts in training camp: WR/KR Derius Davis, P JK Scott, FB Scott Matlock, TE Tucker FIsk, LB Junior Colson
There are other players the Chargers could move on from in March, but ultimately make more sense in the context of summer compeitions. WR/KR Derius Davis dealt with injuries this year that derailed his return production. But he hasn't looked like same level of returner athletically since 2023. Scott also fits in as a potential special teams competition.
Scott Matlock and Tucker Fisk fit the Greg Roman blocking scheme more than they do McDaniel's. It's a fair question to wonder if they both have roles in 2026. LB Junior Colson spent all of last season on IR after a shoulder injury required surgery.