NFL free agency frenzy is all but over, and the Chargers, led by general manager Joe Hortiz have done nearly nothing but disappoint fans with their lack of moves.
Whether it was signing big-name players or even keeping key players from the 2025 roster, the Chargers consistently found themselves on the wrong side of the deal. Tyler Linderbaum has found himself in Las Vegas to be paired with incoming quarterback and number one pick Fernando Mendoza.
With the $27 million APY, the decision to pivot to Tyler Biadazs was understandable. But that money was assumed to be going to keep key players like Odafe Oweh and Zion Johnson, or at the very least go out and revamp the offensive line with some talented guards to go alongside Biadasz, Slater, and Alt.
For Joe Hortiz to allow this roster to go through as much turnover as it has so far, and none of it be the blatantly obvious positive improvements that were needed, is just plain inexcusable. If Bradley Bozeman had not retired, is there a good possibility he would be the Chargers starting center going into training camp?
Maybe the news of his release was what led him to retire, and realistically, we as fans will never know the truth about the direction the team was headed, even if he had not retired.
Joe Hortiz's approach couldn't be more baffling for Chargers fans
The fact that it's a very plausible scenario in which the team ran it back with Bozeman is everything that is wrong with Joe Hortiz in his roster construction philosophy. He and Jim Harbaugh have certainly shown improvement in going to younger, more new-school coaches as main coordinators.
However, from Hortiz's side the roster building still feels incredibly "art of the deal" centric. For a team that is absolutely desperate for a playoff win, and a team that has had glaring holes in the offensive line for what feels like more than a decade now (between multiple different regimes), decisions needed to be different.
Real effort needed to go into ensuring this line had zero chance of being an issue headed into the NFL Draft. Can Mike McDaniel coach up protection and keep Justin Herbert upright all season? Probably. But would it have been that bad to not need to rely on it? Absolutely not.
If Joe Hortiz cannot solve the offensive line woes for the Chargers this year, it is time for his job to be in serious jeopardy. Justin Herbert is too talented to deal with a lackluster offensive line for his entire career. If this was because the rest of the roster was supplemented with star power, then so be it.
But for the roster to feel as pieced together as it does with seemingly no answers, that just can't happen. The draft seems to be his strong suit, so he still has a bit of runway before fans truly call for change. But, free agency has not been kind to the Bolts. If the 2026 season does not provide any improved results, changes will need to be seriously considered for the entire front office staff.