Chargers Roster Spotlights: Justin Eboigbe, a Draft Pick Just Starting to Boom

Justin Eboigbe, born on Apr. 9 2001, in Forest Park, Georgia, played at his local high school, Forest Park, earning four-star recruit status according to 247Sports, which allowed him to get offers from seemingly every Division One college football program. Settling for only the best, Eboigbe took his talents to the powerhouse program, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Once with the program, Eboigbe was an instant contributor as a freshman, collecting three tackles for loss and a sack a half. In 2020, his impact plays dropped, but he continued earning a role on this stacked, championship winning Alabama program. 2021 was more of the same for the former four-star recruit.

2022 for Eboigbe was a turn for the worse. He suffered a season-ending neck injury after four games, placing his NFL hopes in jeopardy. He came back in 2023, having a true breakout season, earning 11.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and 64 tackles. This was an elite season, even if NFL scouts saw him as a day three pick due to "below-average snap explosiveness and quickness, which prevents him from making more plays" - Lance Zierlein.

This season was enough to balance out the concerns written about Eboigbe for the Los Angeles Chargers, as they selected him early in the fourth round in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Chargers Justin Eboigbe, DT Alabama

Justin Eboigbe's first season in Los Angeles was a major disappointment. The then 23-year-old rookie found himself on the bench/not dressed for the majority of the season, playing in five games, only collecting two tackles.

With doubt creeping in from the Bolts' fan base, Eboigbe proved doubters wrong and showed why he was well worth the 2024 selection in his sophomore 2025 season. Eboigbe, most importantly, earned playing time and played quite well when called upon. He is now expected to be one of the most important defenders for the Chargers in 2026.

2025 Season Stats

17 Games
6 Sacks
39 Tackles
7 Tackles For Loss

Measurables

Contract Status

"Justin Eboigbe signed a 4 year, $4,859,012 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including $839,012 signing bonus, $839,012 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1,214,753. In 2026, Eboigbe will earn a base salary of $1,075,000, while carrying a cap hit of $1,284,753 and a dead cap value of $419,506." - Spotrac

Justin Eboigbe's 2026 Season Outlook

With a much-improved 2025 season, Eboigbe now has plenty of expectations going into 2026. With a new defensive coordinator, Chris O'Leary and the loss of Da'Shawn Hand and Otito Ogbonnia, it is crucial for Eboigbe to impress early and replace the snaps lost in free agency.

The rest of the defensive tackle room is lacking pass rush ability, with Eboigbe being the only rusher with real "juice" to get after the quarterback on a week-to-week basis. If he can build off his 2025 season, he can really start making a name for himself as one of the best interior rushers in the entire league.

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