The Chargers will have a ton of money to spend this offseason as their potential to reach over $100 million in cap space is high with just a few smart cuts to current contracts. Now that seems like a lot to work with — and it is — but the Bolts also have some in-house names to keep an eye on who will likely garner a decent amount of attention.
Let’s go ahead and check where they landed in ESPN’s top-50 free agent rankings by analyst Matt Bowen.
9.) EDGE Odafe Oweh
“What he brings: An explosive pass rusher who gets off
the ball in a hurry, Oweh can also flatten his path to maneuver around offensive tackles. After getting traded from the Ravens on Oct. 7, Oweh had 7.5 sacks and 27 pressures in Los Angeles. Plus, he recorded three sacks in the team’s wild-card loss to the Patriots.”
Oweh exploded with the Chargers in a way no one had seen from him since he was drafted by the Ravens several years ago. Going from zero sacks in five games with Baltimore to start the year to 10.5 sacks in 13 games (including the wild card round) is a heck of a jump and all that shows is Oweh just needed the right staff and scheme to maximize his strengths.
Now that he’s shown that potential, Oweh will have suitors. He plays a premium position as is still fairly young. It sure seemed like Oweh was set on returning to LA this offseason, but after Jesse Minter took the head coach job with the Ravens, there’s now a chance he gets whisked away by his former defensive coordinator.
22.) EDGE Khalil Mack
“What he brings: An elbow injury forced Mack to miss five games early in the season, yet he finished with 5.5 sacks and 28 pressures. He will need to be used more as a situational rusher at this stage of his career, but he is still a powerful defender who can create impact plays off the edge.”
After notching a career high 17 sacks in 2023, Mack has combined to record just 11.5 sacks over the past two seasons for the Chargers (missed five games in ’25 with injury). While that may seem like the veteran has finally dropped off, Mack has still been one of the best players at the position when it comes to the overall role of modern day edge rushers.
Per Pro Football Focus, Mack was the highest-graded defensive player for the Chargers this past year, earning an 83.0 To give more perspective, Mack had ended both the 2024 and 2023 seasons with overall grades over 90.0. So yes, in a way the numbers show he has regressed, but everyone in that locker room and knows how valuable he remains nonetheeless.
Mack is still chasing his first playoff win and that hasn’t come to fruition as a member of the Chargers the past four seasons. Will that lead him to look elsewhere in 2026? It very well could, especially given Minter’s move to Baltimore.
33.) OG Zion Johnson
“What he brings: A young and durable interior blocker with movement traits, Johnson fits in both zone and gap run schemes. He is just entering his prime playing years, with a 90.7% pass block win rate over his four-year career.”
Per PFF, Johnson is coming off his worst year as a pro with a 57.4 overall season grade. Still, Johnson’s best ability is availability as he’s played over 1,000 snaps in four consecutive seasons. If you step back PFF’s grading system, however, you’ll see a young lineman coming off a campaign where he set career-best marks with pressures (26) and sacks (3) allowed .
At only 26 years old, Johnson’s best ball can still be in front of him. He’s been working diligently with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather over the last year and that training has seemingly help based on his numbers alone.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Chargers retain him as a cheap starter while looking to upgrade center and right guard this offseason.
