The Los Angeles Chargers have gotten off to an excellent start to the offseason despite their loss of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
They have hired one of the premier offensive coordinator candidates in Mike McDaniel, and their three-year extension of DT Teair Tart is a major victory in their quest to re-assemble the defense.
Yet the Tart signing will take a bite out of their extensive cap space this offseason. And they still have a number of important free agents to bring back before they can even truly look at the open market.
Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh are both unrestricted free agents, and before anything else, the Chargers must determine how they want to approach their pass rush in 2026.
Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh need to be priorities number 2 and 3
As soon as the offseason began, I wrote about how vital it was to get Tart's contract squared away immediately. Although he may not be the same caliber of player as someone like Mack, he made a major impact in 2025. If he was set to depart this summer, the defensive line would have been an urgent need for Los Angeles.
Now, they can turn their focus to their pass rush.
Mack has declined slightly with age, but he was just as impactful as ever for the Chargers last season. Through 12 games, he amassed 5.5 sacks, 32 combined tackles, and 11 QB hits. Unless he elects retirement or a rival team drives the prices up to an absurd level, Los Angeles should do everything they can to bring him back.
Tuli Tuipulotu, who is under contract through next season, was also magnificent in 2025.
Yet it was the addition of Oweh, and the performance of all three pass rushers in tandem, that truly turned this unit around. With Mack, Tuipulotu, and Oweh available, Los Angeles averaged 2.6 sacks per game this season.
Oweh filled a need as a rotational edge rusher. In doing so, he skyrocketed his value on the open market.
Bringing both players back will be difficult. According to Spotrac, Mack is projected to earn around the $18 million he made on his last one-year contract. Oweh, meanwhile, should get a major pay raise, jumping up to a $19 million AAV.
With Minter gone, Los Angeles needs to do everything they can to ensure continuity on that side of the ball. Yet with needs remaining on the offensive line, they must determine how much they are willing to invest in their defense.
The Tart extension, therefore, is just the start of the questions the Chargers need to answer this offseason.