Chargers Top Fit for Free Agent Capable of Changing Course of Justin Herbert Era

One doesn't have to look far to find the very top target on the minds of Los Angeles Chargers fans before free agency this offseason.

Tyler Linderbaum.

Chargers faithful have watched general manager Joe Hortiz choose not to replace center Bradley Bozeman for two years now. And they’ve watched Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh even slap a captain’s C on Bozeman, too.

As one of the very best in the NFL at the position, Linderbaum, then, represents the apex of how the Chargers could attack the obviously glaring weakness this offseason.

It’s an idea starting to pick up steam beyond just Chargers circles, too.

Chargers to target Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum in NFL free agency?

In defense of Chargers fans, though it’s probably a long shot, Hortiz and Harbaugh’s free-agency big board should probably have Linderbaum at No. 1, too.

CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles just ranked Linderbaum as the fifth-best player heading to free agency outright…while listing the Chargers as his best landing spot:

“With three Pro Bowls in four years, Linderbaum is the clear-cut top interior lineman in this free agency class. Though he has expressed a desire to return to the Ravens, the Chargers have the second-most effective cap space in the NFL and could hypothetically beat out any other offer. Will that be enough?”

Players like Linderbaum don’t usually hit the open market. He’s 25 years old and ranked as the fifth-best center at PFF. Some would argue he’s tops. He’s projected by Spotrac to have a market value of roughly $71 million on a four-year contract.

But it’s a number the Chargers should and perhaps would be willing to meet. They have elite offensive tackles with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. Former first-rounder Zion Johnson started to shake free of bust status last year. Free-agent signing Mekhi Becton was a huge bust. And Bozeman was the weak point in the middle of it all.

Ravens: C Tyler Linderbaum

One 2026 free agent that every team cannot afford to losehttps://t.co/R4uqvVqZ8U
— PFF (@PFF) January 16, 2026

Were the Chargers to land Linderbaum, he’d stabilize the middle next to a possibly returning Johnson. They could then presumably address the other guard spot in the draft or free agency to put out perhaps the best starting five of the Herbert era.

Easier said than done. But protecting Herbert is key and they’ve got a flashy new offensive coordinator in Mike McDaniel. Why not go big?

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