This offseason, Scott Matlock's fate with the Los Angeles Chargers seemed to be set in stone.
With the addition of Alec Ingold in free agency, the Chargers made an upgrade at fullback—where Matlock had played over the last two seasons—and it didn't seem like there was any need for him to move back to the D-line. Although Otito Ogbonnia and Da'Shawn Hand had just departed in free agency, Los Angeles had added Nick Barrett through the draft and had emerging young contributors in Jamaree Caldwell and Justin Eboigbe.
The Chargers teased a move to in-line blocking tight end, which would've been Matlock's third positional switch in four seasons. With how tight the margins of this roster were pre-injury, it simply didn't seem like there would be space for Matlock to squeeze his way in again.
But an injury Matlock suffered in the preseason allowed him to start the season on the injured reserve, effectively avoiding roster cuts and biding his time until a space opened up on the Chargers roster. With the sheer amount of injuries Los Angeles has suffered, a space certainly has.
And Matlock, through two games back with the squad, is playing the sort of versatile role that Jim Harbaugh likely envisioned all along. Will it be enough for him to stick on this roster in the long-term?
Scott Matlock is still a versatile piece for the Chargers, especially with their various injury concerns
The reason Matlock is still on this roster is relatively simple. Los Angeles has eight players, including Ingold, on the injured reserve at the moment. Matlock can fill that fullback role, at least in Ingold's absence.
But the Chargers have used Matlock in the versatile way they did back in 2023. In the two games since his return from the IR, he's played snaps as a fullback, an in-line blocker, as a special teams contributor, and even as an interior defensive linemen.
Per Pro Football Focus, here's how Matlock's snap distribution has broken down through two games:
Backfield: 14
Inline: 11
Slot: 2
Wide: 1
Defensive Line: 2
Kick Return: 12
FG/XP Block: 6
That sort of usage is not surprising based on how Los Angeles have deployed Matlock in the past.
But when he played along the defensive line in 2024, it was because the Chargers were suffering from injuries there. Matlock recorded a pressure on two pass-rush snaps in Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs. For reference, he saw a grand total of just three pass-rush snaps when he was operating as the full-time starting fullback in 2025.
Again, not a jaw-dropping surprise. But it is significant insofar as Matlock will have to find a way to stick on this roster when Ingold inevitably returns from his shoulder injury. And the only way he accomplishes that, realistically, is by endearing himself (again) to this coaching staff as a versatile and physical piece no matter where they use him on the field.
With David Njoku still on injured reserve and Oronde Gadsden II still struggling heavily as a blocker, perhaps we see Matlock take on some of that third/fourth tight end role, especially if Hayden Rucci's time with the team runs its course in the near future. Perhaps Chris O'Leary sees him as an additional body to use on the interior, especially against the run. Or maybe something clicks for McDaniel using Matlock in a pass protection role.
Of course, it's a relatively narrow tightrope to walk for Matlock, especially if this roster ever somehow gets fully healthy this season. But the outlook for him (and his future on this roster) is almost certainly better than it seemed this offseason.
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