Sometimes, an offseason decision is so bad that you know the team is will instantly regret it once the season rolls around. That is exactly how LA Chargers fans felt when standout defensive tackle Poona Ford walked away from the team, signing a three-year, $29 million contract with the LA Rams.
The Chargers opted to replace Ford with a strength-in-numbers approach, bringing in multiple depth pieces to replace Ford's impact on the defensive line. Early on in the 2025 season, it looked like that would be good enough for the Bolts. However, in recent weeks, it's clear that the Chargers have a Ford-sized hole on the defensive line that teams are driving through.
Los Angeles' run defense has been shaky in recent weeks and the Indianapolis Colts took advantage of that in Week 7. Jonathan Taylor did whatever he wanted on the ground as the Colts were able to impose their will on a Chargers defense that has been mostly solid to this point.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but this is a regret that was apparent with the benefit of foresight.
The Chargers are clearly missing Poona Ford on defense
Los Angeles had the salary-cap space to bring Ford back this offseason. His average annual salary fell under $10 million and his cap hit in 2025 was only $5.03 million. The Chargers had ample cap space this offseason and could have absorbed this cap hit while keeping the rest of the team the same (especially once you factor in the other defensive linemen the team wouldn't have signed).
Heck, Ford's cap hit this season is so low that it comes in lower than Bradley Bozeman's. Bozeman, who was also a free agent this past spring, carries a $5.065 million cap his this season. The Chargers opted to bring him back, but were comfortable letting Ford walk.
Ford has the fifth-best run defense grade on Pro Football Focus this season. Bozeman has the third-worst grade among centers. The Chargers' priorities were clearly in the right place.
General manager Joe Hortiz said the Chargers made a competitive offer to Ford this offseason but that could mean anything. The Chargers didn't sign a single external free agent to a deal longer than two years and only signed one player, Mekhi Becton, to a deal more expensive than Ford's deal annually.
Despite ample cap space, the Chargers approached the offseason with a frugal mindset. It's not a bad thing to prioritize depth over 1-2 big-money signings, but when it comes at the expense of losing a standout player, it is a corrosive mentality.
And to make matters worse, Teair Tart had an injury scare midway through the third quarter. While he appears to be okay in the long run, the Chargers having to play snaps without Tart highlighted just how much this defense could've benefitted from Ford's presence.
If given the choice, there isn't a Chargers fan on the planet who would have prioritized Bozeman over Ford this offseason. Yet that's what the Chargers' front office did, and now the team has to sleep in the messy bed Hortiz made.