It's certainly no secret that the Los Angeles Chargers had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL this past season.
Yes, some of the struggles can obviously be attributed to the fact that two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee during training camp just 11 days after signing a four-year, $114 million extension, thus knocking him out for the season. And things only got worse when fellow tackle Joe Alt, who was having a strong season through the first month, suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 5, an injury that ultimately led to season-ending surgery midway through the year.
But let's not pretend their two tackles being out was all that went wrong for the Bolts, as the signing of guard Mekhi Becton last year proved to be a massive mistake, with the former first-rounder being one of the worst at his position throughout the 2025 campaign. As such, the 26-year-old is being viewed as a prime cut candidate this offseason.
The Athletic lists Mekhi Becton as the Chargers' most likely salary cap casualty
The fine folks at The Athletic recently compiled a list of potential salary cap casualties, with each team's beat reporter making one selection. As we're sure you've guessed by now, Chargers insider Daniel Popper opted for Becton.
"The Chargers signed Becton to a two-year, $20 million deal last offseason in an attempt to solidify their leaky interior offensive line. The signing turned out to be a pretty glaring failure. He missed three weeks in training camp with an injury, and the injury issues persisted into the season. He struggled to stay on the field, dealing with various ailments, including food poisoning, a concussion and knee troubles.
"When he was on the field, he was poor in pass protection and did not provide the run-blocking lift the Chargers anticipated. They can cut Becton and save $9.7 million against the cap, according to Over The Cap, ridding themselves of what was ultimately a misguided decision."
To back up Popper's argument, Becton's overall PFF grade of 35.7 ranked 79th among 81 qualifying guards. And when you break things down by category, his 45.2 pass-blocking grade ranked 72nd, while his 34.3 run-blocking mark brought up the rear, ranking dead last in 81st.
As mentioned, cutting Becton would save the Chargers $9.7 million against the 2026 cap. Yes, they'll take a $2.5 million dead cap hit, but that's a small price to pay to get out of the contract.
Truth be told, the entire interior of the Bolts' O-line could look different in 2026. Center Bradley Bozeman is another likely cut candidate, and his release would create another $5.875 million in cap space, while only costing $1.06 million in dead money.
Zion Johnson could also be gone, as he's one of nearly 30 Chargers set to enter some sort of free agency. And there are plenty of reserves on that list as well, as Trey Pipkins III, Bobby Hart, Jamaree Salyer, and Trevor Penning are all unrestricted free agents, and Austin Deculus is a restricted free agent. So, there could be several changes coming soon.
Because the Chargers have so many players set to hit the market, of course, they are equipped with an ample amount of cap space already, and releasing Becton (and Bozeman) would obviously only add more.