NFL Free Agency’s Overlooked Name is a No-Brainer Signing for Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers can’t be done in NFL free agency.

Right?

Still sitting on roughly $45 million in cap space by Over The Cap’s count, the Chargers have little depth areas they could address after the NFL draft and in the wake of finding some gems in undrafted free agency.

Granted, this is the slow part of free agency. Veterans capable of making an impact have been taking their time, looking for the best possible situations after the draft. Just look at the Chargers’ signing of Daivd Njoku.

If the Chargers want to hit on a similar sort of signing, there’s an overlooked free agent right here for the taking.

NFL free agency’s overlooked name fits Chargers

Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker — Taylor Decker | David Reginek-Imagn Images

If the Chargers are looking at free agents, they should probably have Justin Herbert in mind.

Good thing, too: Taylor Decker is still on the market.

A 32-year-old offensive tackle and former 16th overall pick, Decker asked for and was granted his release in March.

Now, experts like ESPN’s Matt Bowen say he’s one of the top names available.

“Decker had an 89.3% pass block win rate in 2025 with Detroit, the second-lowest rate of his 10-year career,” Bowen wrote. “If he can prove to be healthy, however, he has the toughness and intangibles to win a starting role with most NFL teams.”

Decker might be one of those free agents who needs to pick between starting on a bad team or joining a contender in a depth role. If it's the latter, the Chargers might give him a great combination of contention and, given the injury history in town, a shot at playing time.

The Chargers could use the depth. Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are on the way back from injuries. Trey Pipkins, a solid swing-tackle backup, got hurt last year, too. They drafted Travis Burke, but he’s a rookie, and a big undrafted name like Isaiah World is coming back from an injury of his own, too.

Decker struggled last year, earning a 67.9 Pro Football Focus grade, ranked 41st out of 89. But if he’s agreeable to a backup role the longer he stays on the market, the Chargers would be smart to explore it, even if he’s not a perfect scheme fit.

It’s that or, if the injury bug hits again, settling for emergency names mid-season like Bobby Hart like they did last year.

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