The LA Chargers replaced Odafe Oweh and found their Khalil Mack success plan in one fell swoop Thursday night. Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor is heading to Los Angeles, and as one of the oldest prospects in the draft, he's set up nicely to make a difference in year one.
Mesidor will be the third edge rusher alongside Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu. The room is rounded out by veteran Bud Dupree and sophomore Kyle Kennard, both of whom will be fighting for as many snaps as possible with Mesidor in the equation.
An edge-rusher room five players deep is possible, but it's not something the Chargers have committed to in recent years. Common sense tells us that's a bad sign for the existing edge rushers and when the dust ultimately settles, it's clear which edge rusher should get the short end of the stick.
Akheem Mesidor selection could end Bud Dupree's Chargers career
Kyle Kennard did next to nothing for the Chargers in his rookie season last year. For some, that may signal that the Bolts won't hesitate to cut bait with the 2025 fourth-round pick. That shouldn't be the case at all.
If it comes down to it, Dupree very clearly should be the one who gets the ax. Dupree has had a nice NFL career and he has had some moments with the Chargers, but he hasn't been nearly impactful enough to earn the spot over a young, developing player.
The Chargers need to think about the future and it makes no sense to cut Kennard and risk him being claimed by another team. Sure, the Chargers could try and stash him on the practice squad, but as they learned last season with Caleb Murphy, that's not always the best approach.
Kennard at least gives the Chargers something to develop and look forward to in the future. The arrow is only pointing down for Dupree, who is entering his last year under contract and is easy to cut bait with. If released after June 1, Dupree will carry a $1.25 million dead cap hit and free up just under $2.5 million in cap space.
It's not just about the future, though. It's also about 2026. The fourth edge rusher on the roster has to make a difference on special teams. That's a must. Dupree has played a grand total of 114 special teams snaps the last two seasons for the Chargers. He played just 20% of the team's special teams snaps.
Kennard is by no means a special teams ace but as a young player, he has a lot more upside. Special teams is not something Dupree will play much of at this stage of his career, nor is he a good option for it.
Dupree will naturally stick around and compete for the fourth edge rusher spot throughout training camp and the preseason, but that roster battle already seems decided. It would take something truly monumental for Kennard to lose the fourth edge rusher spot to Dupree.
That or the Chargers will make a huge mistake.
Add us as a preferred source on Google