Monday will be remembered as the day the Miami Dolphins officially cleaned house. Miami already started the process by firing Mike McDaniel, which was a blessing for an LA Chargers team that hired an over-qualified offensive coordinator, and followed through with several key releases on Monday.
Most notably, the Dolphins released former Pro Bowlers Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb to create cap space. Hill instantly jumps out as a potential free-agent target for the Chargers because of his ties to McDaniel, although it only makes sense at a very specific price point.
However, Miami released another player who is flying under the radar as a potential fit for the Bolts. Less than one year after signing him to a three-year, $24 million contract, the Dolphins released veteran offensive lineman James Daniels. Daniels finds himself looking for a new team and could follow his coaches in Miami for a second chance in LA.
James Daniels makes a lot of sense as an LA Chargers free-agent target
Daniels' 2025 season may not inspire much confidence, but that sets the Chargers up to get an impactful player for pennies on the dollar. Just three snaps into the 2025 season, Daniels suffered a pectoral injury that put him on the IR. He would not return the rest of the season.
This was unfortunate for Daniels' 2025 campaign, but it's not the kind of injury that elicits long-term concerns. This isn't a wide receiver tearing their ACL. In theory, Daniels can return to the form that earned him a $24 million pay day in the first place.
The 2019 second-round pick, who is still only 28 years old, has been a serviceable right guard throughout his career. He has only allowed more than 25 quarterback pressures in a season once and has a career Pass Blocking Efficiency rating of 97.8, per Pro Football Focus.
For comparison, Mekhi Becton had a PBE of 95.5 last season. Daniels' career mark would have tied him for the 12th-best mark among the 59 guards with at least 400 pass-blocking snaps last season. Becton ranked second-to-last.
Daniels alone isn't enough to fix the offensive line and if he was the marquee signing this offseason, it would be a tad bit disappointing in the same way that just Becton last year was disappointing. However, as part of a bigger solution, Daniels could be a key addition for the Chargers.
The Chargers would go from having one of the worst offensive lines in the league to the best if they sign Daniels, break the bank for Tyler Linderbaum, and either bring back Zion Johnson or replace him with a high pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Heck, the Chargers could re-sign Johnson, sign Daniels, and still use premium draft capital for a long-term solution at guard.
The Chargers will save $9.7 million in cap space if they cut Becton this offseason. It seems like a no-brainer to cut him and sign Daniels to a contract that will likely pay him half of that. It doesn't have to be and shouldn't be the only move the Chargers make, but it's as obvious as it gets.
Daniels didn't get a chance to prove his value to McDaniel or offensive line coach Butch Barry. In Los Angeles, he can.