The Los Angeles Chargers have a number of positional gaps that need to be filled this offseason through free agency and the draft.
On Monday, they took an important first step, re-signing defensive tackle Teair Tart to a three-year, $37.5 million extension that will keep him with the team through the 2028 season. Tart was a major emerging factor in their defense this year, and locking him down will prove to be majorly beneficial.
However, the Chargers must soon turn their eyes towards the draft. They have been linked to a number of positions at the end of the first round: a signifier of the number of needs they still have on both sides of the ball.
Yet Tart's extension helps to crystallize matters a bit. While they might have targeted a player for the defensive line, Los Angeles will now almost certainly use their first-round pick to address the interior of the offensive line.
Chargers must now target an offensive lineman in the 2026 NFL Draft
With new coordinators and new schematic outlooks, Los Angeles will hopefully be set with their skill players on both sides of the ball, barring a few minor signings to shore up depth.
Where they truly need help is in the trenches (and especially on the offensive line). Their pass protection was among the worst in the league last season, with the team allowing 60 sacks. Even with their star tackles in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater out for the season, this number is inexcusable.
Yet, in many early mock drafts, Los Angeles was routinely linked to defensive tackles. Clemson's Peter Woods was Mel Kiper's choice in his recent mock draft for ESPN. An earlier mock draft had them selecting A'mauri Washington out of Oregon.
These are good players, certainly, but Tart's signing means the Chargers' most glaring needs now clearly lie elsewhere.
Both Bradley Bozeman and Mekhi Becton likely need to be replaced, as they are not truly a fit under McDaniel's scheme. At the end of the first round, Los Angeles could have both Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane and Auburn center Connor Lew available to them.
Both players have shown enough at the college level that it's reasonable to expect they can be day-one starters in the NFL.
This is not to say the Chargers don't need more additions on the defensive side of the ball. But those pieces can be found in free agency and in the later rounds of the draft.
In order to get premier offensive line talent, Los Angeles needs to spend their draft capital properly. Tart's extension just made it much more likely they will do so.