The LA Chargers may not be building the offensive line that fans were hoping for this offseason but one thing is certain: they know how to build a defensive line. Los Angeles made the defensive line that much stronger on Friday by signing veteran Dalvin Tomlinson to a one-year, $7.5 million deal. He gets $6 million guaranteed.
Tomlinson replaces Otito Ogbonnia, who signed with the Dallas Cowboys, in the defensive line rotation. He is sure to play a key role for a Chargers team that is looking to win at the point of attack with other talented linemen in Teair Tart, Khalil Mack, and Tuli Tuipulotu.
There is no such thing as too much defensive line depth in the NFL so signing Tomlinson to a cheap one-year deal is a no-brainer. It does, however, have a ripple effect on the rest of that room and may reveal how the Bolts view their current in-house options ahead of the 2026 season.
Dalvin Tomlinson signing could be the beginning of the end of Scott Matlock on the Chargers
Scott Matlock has become a household name for Chargers fans not because of his play on the defensive line, but because of how he has stepped up and played fullback for the Bolts when they had nobody else to do so.
The Chargers drafted Matlock in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and after doing little with his few opportunities in his rookie season, Jim Harbaugh transitioned Matlock to the team's fullback in 2024. He has held that position for two years and, as a result, has played limited defensive snaps.
Matlock is no longer needed as the team's fullback after LA signed Alec Ingold this offseason. That gives him the chance to play full-time on the defensive line, but quite frankly, the Chargers may not be interested in that proposition.
Matlock now finds himself as the fifth defensive lineman, at best, on the depth chart before the team makes more additions in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tart, Jamaree Caldwell, Tomlinson and third-year Harbaugh draft pick Justin Eboigbe are all ahead of Matlock on the pecking order.
Harbaugh will almost certainly give Matlock plenty of chances to lock down a spot in the rotation, especially with how malleable he has been the last two years. But based on how the room is already shaking out, and how the team may continue investing there, it's hard to see a path to playing time for Matlock.
Matlock still brings value on special teams and he could make the roster solely because of that. But with the Chargers going out and adding another defensive lineman to the room, it's hard to imagine him making a full transition from fullback to difference-maker on the defensive line.