Chargers GM Joe Hortiz had his yearly NFL Combine media availability this morning. Following the retirement of Bradley Bozeman last night, the next offensive line domino to fall is now RG Mekhi Becton. Becton carries a $12.2 million cap hit in 2026 and has a $2.5 million roster bonus due on March 13th.
The Chargers would save $9.7 million against the cap by cutting him prior to free agency. Becton dealt with a chronic knee issue this season and allowed 39 pressures on just 239 pass blocking snaps. 95.5 was the second lowest pass blocking efficiency score for any season of his career. Becton also voiced his frustrations with the coaching staff publicly.
Chargers GM Joe Hortiz won’t commit to a decision on Mekhi Becton’s future.
ESPN’s Kris Rhim asked Hortiz about Becton’s status on the roster next season. “Those are things that we will discuss,” Hortiz replied. “We get back Sunday. All the coaches and staff will meet Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and we’ll finalize all those plans then.” Rhim then asked a follow-up on if Becton was guaranteed to be on the roster. “I’m not going to talk about that right now Rhim,” Hortiz replied.
While it’s noteworthy that Hortiz wouldn’t commit to Becton being on the roster, it’s felt fairly obvious that this situation ends in a cut. Hortiz at least revealed that the timeline will likely be next week for any cut decisions after the NFL Combine.
Besides Becton’s 2025 struggles, it’s hard to imagine a world where he fits Mike McDaniel’s blocking scheme. He also has too high of a cap hit to justify taking the risk on him bouncing back in a second Chargers season.
Becton switched agent representation midseason in 2025. On Oct. 4, Becton officially signed with Roc Nation Sports. Given the lack of guarantees on his contract that was negotiated last season, that’s not a surprise. But Becton clearly knew that being a free agent again in 2026 was a distinct possibility.
Other cut candidates for the Chargers include TE Will Dissly and EDGE Bud Dupree. By cutting Becton prior to free agency, the Chargers would get to $97.6 million in salary cap space.
Moving on from their starting right guard would get them to the second most cap space in the league behind only the Tennessee Titans. With cuts of Dupree and Dissly on top of Becton, the Bolts would lead the league in cap space at just over $105 million.