The Los Angeles Chargers' losses on the defensive side of the ball weren't necessarily devastating this offseason.
Although they lost rotational edge rusher Odafe Oweh to the Washington Commanders in free agency, they quickly replaced him, using their first-round pick on Akheem Mesidor out of the University of Miami. They also lost Benjamin St-Juste to the Green Bay Packers, and his snap share will need to be distributed somehow among the Chargers' remaining cornerbacks.
But their re-shaping of their defensive line went relatively under-the-radar. Los Angeles let both Da'Shawn Hand and Otito Ogbonnia walk in free agency to the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, adding Dalvin Tomlinson and Nick Barrett in response and betting on a major step forward from Jamaree Caldwell. In the end, it should work out in Los Angeles' favor.
But both Hand and Ogbonnia still have talent, and both will be relied upon as major contributors for their new teams. Hand, particularly, was highlighted as a surprising playmaker through the Falcons' offseason program by beat writer Marc Raimondi at ESPN.
"The signing of Hand, 30, did not make a ton of headlines, but he has quickly solidified himself this spring as a key player on a line that needs to improve in stopping the run. He has even earned himself the nickname "Kingpin" from defensive line coach Nate Ollie as the 'final boss' of the unit."- Marc Raimondi, ESPN
While the Chargers ultimately didn't need to retain Hand, it's clear that he has a chance to still make a major impact even as he enters his age-31 season.
Da'Shawn Hand could prove to be a major contributor for the Falcons in 2026
Hand was a solid run defender in his singular year in Los Angeles, even if he wasn't the most productive contributor. In 2025, he played 56% of the Chargers' defensive snaps when he was available, amassing 29 combined tackles and five tackles for loss. Per Pro Football Focus, he missed just one tackle across all 13 games he appeared in. He did miss some time with injury, seeing a stint on the IR with a groin issue, but it was an overall solid season for the veteran defender in Los Angeles.
The Chargers' run defense, while solid in its totality, was also highly inconsistent in 2025. Hand was active in Los Angeles' two worst run-defending performances of the season— when it gave up 192 rushing yards to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11 and 163 rushing yards to the Washington Commanders in Week 5. The additions of Barrett and Tomlinson should go a long way toward patching some of those holes.
Hand, for his part, signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Atlanta for 2026.
Atlanta will now depend upon Hand to do the same thing the Chargers hoped for— solidify their D-line against the run. Hand might not be a starter in four or even five-man sets with the Falcons. He'll need to compete with Brandon Dorlus, Zach Harrison, and Chris Williams for that role.
But he's clearly made waves with his new team. It seems as though the Falcons' defense will be willing to rotate out defenders frequently in order to maximize their run-stopping potential along the line, and Hand could therefore be a major beneficiary in 2026.
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