It's been two weeks now since free agency began, and the Los Angeles Chargers, despite having an abundance of salary cap space with which to work, certainly didn't make the high-profile moves some were expecting.
It's not that the Bolts haven't signed anyone who wasn't on the roster this past year, of course, and they actually got off to an early start, replacing retired center Bradley Bozeman with Tyler Biadasz a few days ahead of the legal tampering period, as he'd already been let go by the Washington Commanders.
And once things officially began, they added some more offensive line depth, bringing in former first-rounder Cole Strange, also signing one of the top blocking tight ends in the league in Charlie Kolar. Running back and return specialist Keaton Mitchell and fullback Alec Ingold have been added to the offense as well, with nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson currently serving as the lone external addition on the defensive side of the football.
The Chargers also opted to bring back plenty of players. They took care of business extremely with Teair Tart, re-signing him all the way back in January, and also inked Khalil Mack to a new one-year deal before he hit the open market. The Bolts will also see Trey Pipkins III, Trevor Penning, Del'Shawn Phillips, Denzel Perryman, Tony Jefferson, Deane Leonard, Josh Harris, and Trey Lance back on the roster.
On the other side of things, however, Los Angeles lost plenty of talent. In addition to releasing Mekhi Becton, Will Dissly, and Savion Washington, the Chargers saw Odafe Oweh, Zion Johnson, Benjamin St-Juste, Da'shawn Hand, Otito Ogbonnia, Jamaree Salyer, Tyler Conklin, and Austin Deculus all find new homes.
Add all this up, and there are obviously plenty of changes to the Chargers' depth chart after this first fortnight of free agency. And more changes are on the way, as there's obviously still the matter of the draft. But as that's still a month off, let's have a look at how this new depth chart shakes out.
Updated Chargers depth chart
New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will undoubtedly change up the offensive sets from time to time to keep opposing defenses on their toes, but this is the most basic of looks here with the three wide receivers and one tight end. You'll notice 12 slots, of course, as we included the fullback position.
Offense (3 WR, 1 TE)
Position | Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
QB | Justin Herbert | Trey Lance | DJ Uiagalelei | — |
RB | Omarion Hampton | Kimani Vidal | Keaton Mitchell | Jaret Patterson |
WR | Ladd McConkey | KeAndre Lambert-Smith | Luke Grimm | — |
WR | Quentin Johnston | Derius Davis | JaQuae Jackson | — |
WR | Tre' Harris | Dalevon Campbell | — | — |
TE | Oronde Gadsden II | Charlie Kolar | Tanner McLachlan | Thomas Yassmin |
FB | Alec Ingold | Scott Matlock | — | — |
LT | Rashawn Slater | Trey Pipkins III | — | — |
LG | Trevor Penning | Branson Taylor | — | — |
C | Tyler Biadasz | Josh Kaltenberger | — | — |
RG | Cole Strange | Ben Cleveland | — | — |
RT | Joe Alt | Trey Pipkins III | — | — |
Defense (3-4 Base)
One would assume that new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary will continue to run the hybrid 3-4 scheme that Jesse Minter used, as that's what Jim Harbaugh typically prefers. There will naturally be some tweaks here and there, but we'll run with this 3-4 base.
Position | Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
LDE | Teair Tart | Josh Fuga | — | — |
NT | Dalvin Tomlinson | Jamaree Caldwell | — | — |
RDE | Justin Eboigbe | TeRah Edwards | — | — |
WLB | Tuli Tuipulotu | Kyle Kennard | — | — |
LILB | Daiyan Henley | Junior Colson | Marlowe Wax | Emany Johnson |
RILB | Denzel Perryman | Troy Dye | Del'Shawn Phillips | — |
SLB | Khalil Mack | Bud Dupree | Garmon Randolph | — |
LCB | Cam Hart | Jordan Oladokun | — | — |
SS | Derwin James Jr. | Tony Jefferson | — | — |
FS | Elijah Molden | RJ Mickens | Kendall Williamson | — |
RCB | Donte Jackson | Deane Leonard | Isas Waxter | Eric Rogers |
NB | Tarheeb Still | Nikko Reed | — | — |
Special Teams
Position | Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PK | Cameron Dicker | — | — | — |
H | JK Scott | — | — | — |
P | JK Scott | — | — | — |
LS | Josh Harris | Peter Bowden | — | — |
KR | Keaton Mitchell | Derius Davis | KeAndre Lambert-Smith | Kimani Vidal |
PR | Derius Davis | Tarheeb Still | Ladd McConkey | — |
