Chargers Roster Spotlights: Dalvin Tomlinson, an Overlooked Free-Agent Addition

Dalvin Tomlinson, born in February of 1994, played football, soccer and wrestling at Henry County High School in McDonough, Georgia. After a prestigious high school career, Tomlinson was a four-star recruit according to 247Sports. With offers from seemingly every prestigious college program, the Georgia native decided to take his talents to arguably the most prestigious of them all, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

During his time with the Crimson Tide, Tomlinson found himself early as a redshirt recovering from injury that he suffered while playing soccer in high school. 2013 Tomlinson was active, but did not receive much playing time as other veteran defensive linemen had the nod in front of him.

Then, in 2014, Tomlinson was given a larger role, where he collected 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He built on this in 2015, having less production, but a greater impact on the team, as Alabama was crowned a National Champion. In Tomlinson's final season in 2016, he fully broke out earning 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

The Alabama product was then selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He played for the "G-Men" for four seasons, a very good, productive anchor of their defense. After his rookie contract, he found himself in Minnesota, where he played two more productive seasons as a reliable run-stopping nose tackle.

Two more seasons in Cleveland doing much of the same, Tomlinson finally found himself closer to the west coast going to the Arizona Cardinals for his age 31 season in 2025. This was a statistical down season, but many analysts believe that this is due to the complete lack of talent around the veteran; not a decline in ability by the well-traveled nose tackle.

Chargers Dalvin Tomlinson, IDL Alabama

This belief is obviously shared by the Los Angeles Chargers, where he decided to sign for the 2026 season. The Chargers have plenty of young talent and a returning starting veteran in Teair Tart across their interior defensive line room, but the need for another run-stuffing nose tackle was apparent.

Insert Tomlinson, and now you have a strong interior defensive linemen room with another much-needed veteran presence, hopefully helping this Chargers team to a Super Bowl run.

2025 Season Stats

17 Games
1 Pass Deflection
1 Sack
26 Tackles
3 Tackles for Loss

Measurables

Contract Status

"Dalvin Tomlinson signed a 1 year, $6,200,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including $3,000,000 signing bonus, $5,690,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $6,200,000. In 2026, Tomlinson will earn a base salary of $2,690,000 and a signing bonus of $3,000,000, while carrying a cap hit of $6,800,000 and a dead cap value of $5,690,000." - Spotrac

Dalvin Tomlinson's 2026 Season Outlook

Now on his fifth team, Tomlinson is hoping to win a Super Bowl with the Chargers, as he is obviously getting older has not experienced much team success since being in the NFL. His specific role on the Bolts is likely to be a veteran to teach the Chargers young defensive line room, while still providing valuable run-stopping snaps in 2026.

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