If there was one silver lining to pull away from the Los Angeles Chargers' Week 2 loss, it was that the defense looked overall improved—especially among the front seven.
There were, of course, still issues in the secondary in pass coverage, and that was part of what lost them the game. But the Chargers were able to limit Ashton Jeanty to just 48 yards on 21 carries, at the very least hamstringing that portion of Las Vegas' offensive attack.
It was an encouraging sign from a defense that looked surprisingly hapless against Jacoby Brissett and the Arizona Cardinals just a week prior.
But of course, the injury bug has already struck. While most of their recent setbacks will threaten their already shaky momentum on the offensive side of the ball, their lone new defensive injury—to defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson—is worth analyzing as well. As seemingly minor a signing as Tomlinson may have been this offseason, Tomlinson's abilities as a run stopper and a flexible nose tackle will be integral to this defense's ability to stop the run over the course of the season.
Los Angeles has plenty of talent in that room, but they'll need to figure out how to adjust without Tomlinson's massive presence in the trenches. For a defensive line that was already facing pressure to keep the pass rush afloat, this is certainly an unneeded burden.
Dalvin Tomlinson's absence leaves Chris O'Leary with some adjustments to make along the defensive line
There's a reason Tomlinson only signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal this offseason. As solid a fit as he is for a Chargers team that lacked a true nose tackle last season, his production on the Arizona defensive line was sub-par. He struggled heavily last season as a tackler, and he attributed that, in part, to Nick Rallis' insistence on lining him up too heavily at the nose tackle position. Tomlinson prefers to play wider, and the Chargers seemed to promise him that opportunity.
So far, that promise has been fulfilled, and it's paid dividends.
Through two weeks, Tomlinson has played seven snaps at nose tackle and 55 lined up as a DT. The Chargers took that rotational and wide-alignment approach to their run protection last season as well, and that's why there's room for optimism when it comes to filling in for Tomlinson during his short-term absence. Teair Tart, for example, has played six snaps lined up at nose tackle this season. Jamaree Caldwell has played 13.
With Tomlinson out, Los Angeles can simply continue to rotate between Tart, Caldwell, Eboigbe, and rookie DT Nick Barrett in their various alignments.
But anytime you're missing a key player, some of that balance can easily be thrown off—especially when it's as tenuous as the one the Chargers have found through two weeks of this season. Tart is primarily a pass-rush threat, although he's a capable run defender when he's put into the right positions. The same goes for Eboigbe, who's had his fair share of struggles as a tackler and run fitter through his first pair of NFL seasons. Caldwell is more well-rounded, and there's a chance he takes over some of Tomlinson's snaps closer to the middle of the line.
But none possess the pure size or the multi-gap abilities that Tomlinson does when he's playing at the top of his game. There's a reason the Chargers sought him out this offseason even though they were a top-10 rushing defense in 2025. His presence allows all three of Tart, Caldwell, and Eboigbe to shift into more natural roles against the run and to dial in on disruption against the pass.
O'Leary will need to temporarily find a new balance, and as the Chargers head into a matchup against James Cook and the Buffalo Bills (who had the best rushing offense in the entire NFL last year), he'll need to do it quickly.
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