Coming into this 2026 NFL offseason, many expected the Los Angeles Chargers to be big players in free agency, as they were armed with more than $100 million in salary cap space.
But that turned out not to be the case, as the biggest move the Bolts made, at least in terms of dollars, was bringing in center Tyler Biadasz to the tune of a three-year, $30 million deal to replace the retired Bradley Bozeman. Flashy? Certainly not. But necessary? Absolutely.
And that was really the theme of how Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh handled things, both in free agency and during the 2026 NFL Draft, where they used four of their eight picks on the offensive line, which was easily LA's biggest issue this past year. Other positions were addressed, of course, including adding Akheem Mesidor with their first-round pick to help offset the loss of Odafe Oweh, but the O-line was clearly the focus.
And with the moves the Chargers made, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski gave them a solid "B" grade in a recent piece in which he handed out offseason report cards for each of the 32 teams.
Chargers tied for the third-highest grade among AFC teams in B/R's offseason report cards
It's certainly no secret that not everyone has been overly thrilled with how Los Angeles has handled the offseason as a whole, but given the assessment he gave the Bolts when justifying his grade, Sobleski doesn't seem to be one of those people.
"The Los Angeles Chargers suffered through awful injury luck during the 2025 campaign, specifically along their offensive line. The team's front office decided that won't happen again.
"The Chargers' front five will naturally improve with both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt returning from last year's season-ending injuries. From there, the organization signed veteran center Tyler Biadasz and drafted four more blockers.
"Jake Slaughter, whom the Chargers selected in the second round, is expected to compete for a starting guard spot.
The other side of the ball shouldn't be completely overlooked, because the organization's first-round pick, Akheem Mesidor, will provide immediate pass-rush help after Odafe Oweh departed in free agency to join the Washington Commanders."
The Chargers should feel pretty good about their mark, as their "B" tied for third among the 16 AFC teams and tied for fourth among all 32 teams. The only two clubs to get straight "A" grades were the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets, both of whom really had nowhere to go but up. And the Dallas Cowboys came in with an "A-." So, that's nice.
For those wondering, here's what the entire list looked like.
- Arizona Cardinals: C
- Atlanta Falcons: C+
- Baltimore Ravens: D
- Buffalo Bills: C+
- Carolina Panthers: B
- Chicago Bears: C
- Cincinnati Bengals: B+
- Cleveland Browns: B
- Dallas Cowboys: A-
- Denver Broncos: B
- Detroit Lions: C
- Green Bay Packers: C
- Houston Texans: B
- Indianapolis Colts: B
- Jacksonville Jaguars: F
- Kansas City Chiefs: C+
- Las Vegas Raiders: A
- Los Angeles Chargers: B
- Los Angeles Rams: B
- Miami Dolphins: D
- Minnesota Vikings: D
- New England Patriots: C
- New Orleans Saints: B
- New York Giants: B+
- New York Jets: A
- Philadelphia Eagles: C+
- Pittsburgh Steelers: C+
- San Francisco 49ers: C+
- Seattle Seahawks: C-
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B
- Tennessee Titans: B
- Washington Commanders: B
Now, the Bolts obviously have to wait and see how these offseason moves pan out.
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