The Chargers made several low-cost move to add offensive players who already have familiarity with Mike McDaniel’s offense (Alec Ingold, Cole Strange) and one of the league’s best blocking tight ends (Charlie Kolar). Only real run game degenerates probably felt joy at these signings, but they were important nonetheless.
Now, Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh need to find their centerpiece of their 2026 free agent haul.
OG Elgton Jenkins
The Packers released Jenkins earlier this week which immediately made him one of, if not
the best, offensive lineman left on the market. He played center during the 2025 campaign but was one of the league’s best left guards during the previous six seasons of his career.
After the Chargers missed out on signing the likes of David Edwards and Isaac Seumalo on day one, Jenkins seems like the defacto choice for general manager Joe Hortiz as his release means his addition would not count against the compensatory pick formula, just like the Biadasz signing.
Jenkins would pair with Rashawn Slater on the left side to provide Herbert with the best blindside protection he’s ever had in his career.
EDGE A.J. Epenesa
The Chargers need to find a new No. 3 at edge rusher and Epenesa feels like the right move after being a contributor for the Bills
After three consecutive seasons with at least six sacks, Epenesa saw his role shrink in 2025 where he managed just 2.5. At the same time, he had four passes defended, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery while starting only two games.
His pass rush grade by PFF was middle of the road (63.5 out of 115) while his run defense was 105th out of 115. There’s certainly some room to work on in his game, but this just feels like cheap, somewhat high-upside deal that Hortiz has always looked for.
If the Chargers make this signing, I would still expect them to address edge rusher fairly early in the draft.
OG Wyatt Teller
Teller is not the player he was at his peak in Cleveland, but I think there’s something to be said about giving a once-good player a change of scenery in hopes of sparking a resurgence. Playing in Cleveland is already somewhat demoralizing given their historic lack of success this decade and there’s no way that wasn’t weighing on his shoulder in some capacity.
I loved Teller when he was coming out of Virginia Tech. I would invite him with open arms if he was deemed a good enough fit for McDaniel’s offense. Teller ranked 36th in run blocking by PFF this past season which is just fine if you consider there being 64 starting guards in the league and he’s smack in the middle.
One reason I’m a little lenient on not finding the best of the best in pass protecting guards is that McDaniel is expected to install “layups” within the offense after Greg Roman refused to do so. The expectation is that Herbert will no longer need a year and a half to sit in the pocket before his receivers finish their route concept. If McDaniel comes through in this regard, it’ll make everyone up front’s job easier.
LB Leo Chenal
Another former draft prospect I loved when he came out, the Chargers chose to grab former safety JT Woods over Chenal. Woods lasted little to no time at all in the league while Chenal is on course to earn a bigger second contract.
Chenal is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades but master-of-none, but that’s not the worst thing in the world if a defensive coordinator knows how to use him. He played 440 snaps in 2025 with 154 coming as an edge defender and 267 coming as a box defender. I like that versatility for the Chargers who may need to utilize a group effort to fill the EDGE3 role if they can’t land a prominent player in free agency or the draft.
He had two sacks last season and posted a 76.3 run defense grade, good for 22nd among 88 qualifying linebackers. His raw stats tell me he likely won’t cost all that much and that his future play will almost assuredly outperform his contract.
