In an offseason where the LA Chargers should be dedicated to protecting Justin Herbert the team is spending no more than $6.5 million per year on what they think is a starting-caliber guard. Things can change, but based on how the Bolts historically operate, fans shouldn't expect the team to soon break the bank.
The Chargers made the savvy move of signing Tyler Biadasz to be the team's starting center at $10 million per season after he was released by the Washington Commanders. They deserve credit for that. But every other move, and move that wasn't made, doesn't paint the Chargers as a team that is fully dedicated to protecting its quarterback.
Cole Strange, Trey Pipkins, and Trevor Penning are the three other linemen the Chargers have signed thus far. Strange is probably going to start, which is objectively disappointing. In an offseason full of resources, the Chargers haven't committed many to protecting Herbert.
Daniel Popper of The Athletic, who is on the Chargers beat and is arguably closer to the team than anyone else in the media space, spoke about the Chargers' inactivity during a Substack live stream (you should subscribe, it's really great!) on Tuesday night. During that stream, Popper laid it all out and said the following:
From last night's Hops With Pop...https://t.co/WvWSbzH3dn pic.twitter.com/HpGrffn8ku
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) March 11, 2026
"At this point, if you're not going to sign a quality starting offensive lineman for $11 million a year, $12 million a year, how are you going to get a starting-caliber lineman in the building?"
Chargers' lack of investment in the offensive line is puzzling
There is one thing, one person, who makes the Chargers what they are. It isn't Jim Harbaugh, it isn't Joe Hortiz, it isn't Dean Spanos. It's Justin Herbert. Without the franchise quarterback under center, the Chargers would be wading in the pool of irrelevancy without the first two names mentioned above.
Thus, it should be the team's No. 1 priority at every turn to protect Herbert where it can. Harbaugh and Hortiz were seemingly up for the assignment when their first draft selection as a duo was Joe Alt over Malik Nabers. Everything since then has gone the other direction.
Even if you want to be the glass-half-full optimist and sell yourself on Strange, who has literally never been an average guard in his four-year NFL career and is bouncing around teams like a journeyman already, there is no excusing how the operation has panned out.
Herbert is the most valuable resource the Chargers have. In theory, the Chargers should be willing to bend a little bit from their usual offensive strategies and actually invest near the top of the market in protecting Herbert. Sure, you may not get a "perfect" valued deal, but it doesn't matter! Protect your quarterback! That is what is important here!
Harbaugh and Hortiz can't sit at a press conference and talk about the importance of protecting Herbert only to turn around and refuse to spend even mid-tier money to sign a starting-caliber guard. This isn't about being the smartest guy in the room and making some value signing that might work out. This is about protecting the quarterback who led the league in pressures and quarterback hits last season.
Biadasz was a great addition, he was. But what if he wasn't released by the Commanders? What would the Chargers have done then? They certainly weren't spending on Tyler Linderbaum, and Connor McGovern never left Buffalo. If it wasn't for the Commanders, Chargers fans would probably be looking at an offseason where Strange is the best lineman the Bolts have signed thus far.
It's indefensible.
And yes, there is still the 2026 NFL Draft as well as the rest of free agency. But Hortiz didn't draft a single interior offensive lineman on the first four rounds of the draft in his first two years. He's literally drafted one, Branson Taylor, who didn't even make the initial 53-man roster in his rookie year and spent the season on the practice squad.
History tells us we shouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt and we shouldn't assume they figure this out. Right now, the Chargers seem more interested in striking a good deal than they do protecting their franchise quarterback at all costs.