Chargers’ NFL Free Agency Blueprint to Fix Biggest Issue Feels Like Risky Deja Vu

The Chargers have made moves in free agency...but what they didn't do commands attention.

Jim Harbaugh | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A year ago, it was clear to almost all onlookers that the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t do enough to protect Justin Herbert through how the front office addressed the guard positions. 

Back then, the Chargers kept ineffective starting center Bradley Bozeman wholly unchallenged. Former first-round pick Zion Johnson was back for another attempt to stabilize his play and nobody should have been comfortable with Mekhi Becton, who only stayed healthy and had quality play after one season of a position change (the Chargers agreed, too, based on his contract structure). 

And one year later? Things feel similar in a not-so-great way. 

Chargers free agency plans on hold?

Joe Hortiz | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Chargers have made moves to address the line, yes. 

Los Angeles went out and got center Tyler Biadasz before free agency opened. They then added Cole Strange and brought back Trevor Penning. Strange looks like he’ll start. 

But the Chargers have sat out on the rest of the market. It puts them in a tough spot, to say the least. 

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently wrote about what the Chargers’ best-case scenario from here might be: 

“Hortiz will want to protect the third-round compensatory pick he's landing for Odafe Oweh, which would incentivize the Chargers to wait until after June 1 and for the compensatory pick formula to lock for 2026. If Kevin Zeitler is still on the market, adding the veteran guard would be a no-brainer for the Chargers. If not, well, Hortiz might need to be looking at training camp cuts to add a guard.”

It’s a frustrating-looking position for the Chargers to occupy. With a quarterback like Herbert and a championship window open, the team might need to wait until the summer to know what the starting lineup looks like, perhaps after signing another team’s castoff…despite entering free agency with almost $100 million to use. 

Sure, Biadasz is an upgrade at center, which should help the guards. They could use a first-round pick on a guard. Coordinator Mike McDaniel will have a new scheme that could help, too. 

But anyone was an upgrade at center. And a projected lineup of a rookie or castoff veteran at guard, Biadasz and Strange at the other guard spot isn’t all that encouraging…especially compared to what it could have been based on the resources the Chargers had. 

This could all be moot if things go well for the Chargers next season. But it feels like an unnecessary risk, all things considered.

Sign Up For the Chargers Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Los Angeles Chargers Newsletter