The LA Chargers officially parted ways with three players on Wednesday. Right guard Mekhi Becton, tight end Will Dissly, and tackle Savion Washington were all released by the team prior to the start of free agency.
Releasing Becton and Dissly was largely expected. Becton greatly underperformed expectations in 2025 with statistically one of the worst pass-blocking seasons of his career. Dissly fell out of the rotation last year until Tucker Fisk suffered an injury.
With those two cuts plus Washington, the Chargers saved about $14.5 million against the cap.
The Chargers officially have the most cap space in the NFL
Los Angeles’ 2026 salary cap space spiked up to $99.06 million as a result of these moves, per Over The Cap. The Bolts also have the most cap space in the league at that value as it currently stands. Barring more cuts from other teams, Joe Hortiz and the front office enter free agency with the most financial flexibility in the NFL.
And they’ll need it. The Chargers could be replacing all three interior spots along their offensive line if Zion Johnson walks. The fates of pass-rushing stars Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh also hang in the balance. There’s business to handle before the Chargers get to an exciting external target like Tyler Linderbaum.
The Chargers also have other ways to open up cap space. Releasing Bud Dupree would save the team a little over $3 million. Restructuring Justin Herbert and extending safety Derwin James should be mentioned as options in theory. But the Chargers probably stop short of pulling either of those levers (at least in March). It’s still worth mentioning that these options exist if Los Angeles does become a big cap spender.
The Chargers will need a more aggressive offseason to address key weaknesses They also entered 2025 free agency with excess cap space that ended up going towards more cautious signings. This year is different-they will need to spend big money to get results in the trenches.
In many ways, it is a legacy offseason for Hortiz and HC Jim Harbaugh. They saw how the playoffs went and cannot allow the team to collapse in that fashion again. Herbert’s protection was historically awful in several statistical categories. The process of avoiding the Chargers’ 2025 fate starts now.
Next week, the NFL’s tampering window opens on March 9th and free agents are officially allowed to sign on March 11th.