NFL Combine Rumors Stunner: Chargers a ‘Threat’ to Sign Top Free Agent, After All

Don’t look now, but here come the Los Angeles Chargers in the Tyler Linderbaum sweepstakes in NFL free agency.

Things didn't look good for the Chargers on this front last week. Some Baltimore Ravens news made it clear that Linderbaum, one of the best centers in the NFL, might not even make it to the open market, after all.

Add on, too, the fact that Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz is usually pretty timid with his big splash signings. It only fueled the idea more that they wouldn’t actually be in the hunt for Linderbaum.

But that mood has changed dramatically exiting the NFL combine.

Chargers news at NFL combine: Tyler Linderbaum is Chargers free agent target

Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum looks on. — Tyler Linderbaum | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

How things might go over the next few weeks really takes shape after the entire NFL gathers at the combine.

Hence, the mood shift on the Chargers and Linderbaum.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote the following about what he’s hearing after the combine: “The Chargers are looking for interior offensive line help and are a threat to sign Linderbaum (Chargers GM Joe Hortiz was in Baltimore when the Ravens drafted him).”

The line from Linderbaum to the Chargers has always been easy to draw. And the money is there. The Chargers have roughly $85.4 million in free cap space. At Spotrac, Linderbaum’s projected market value is four years, roughly $71 million.

Financials? Easy.

Everything else, not so much.

It’s not just about Hortiz’s past spending habits. Hortiz has a wealth of things to address across the roster:

Names like Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh are free agents.
He needs to upgrade all three interior line spots, not just one.
There’s a push to help new coordinator Chris O’Leary keep the defense strong after Jesse Minter left.
Some big names like Tuli Tuipulotu need contract extensions.
He needs to pay an entire draft class.

Still, it’s hard to undersell just how big a jump there is from Bradley Bozeman to Linderbaum. Adding the best center in the league could open up easing in a rookie starting guard or two, perhaps drafted as highly as Round 1.

And frankly, new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel should get what he wants. They're changing the blocking scheme up front. If he says Linderbaum is a must, then it needs to happen.

Right now, Linderbaum to the Chargers is apparently actually on the table.

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