After taking a steady approach in free agency, signing just one external player in linebacker Eric Kendricks and re-signing a handful of their own, the Chargers now have their sights set on the draft where they will look to bolster their roster with their selections and make a deeper run in 2023.
Before, we’re going position by position to break down where Los Angeles stands entering the draft.
Next up is the defensive line.
Catch the previous profiles here:
Who's on the roster?
- Austin Johnson
- Sebastian Joseph-Day
- Morgan Fox
- Otito Ogbonnia
- Christopher Hinton
- David Moa
LA’s free agent signings from last offseason return looking to build on an up-and-down 2022 season. Joseph-Day, signed to a 3 year, $24 million deal last March, posted career bests in total tackles (56), tackles for loss (9), and quarterback hits (6). Johnson, who’s in the second year of his 2 year, $14 million deal, had 22 total tackles and was arguably the Chargers’ best run defender before being lost for the season with a torn MCL and fractured kneecap.
Fox also returns after briefly testing free agency following a career best season. His 6.5 sacks, 38 total tackles, and 11 quarterback hits were all career highs, while his 8 tackles for loss tied a career high. The Chargers re-signed him to a 2 year, $7.25 million deal in March, widely considered to be a discount for the level of play he provided.
2022 fifth round pick Ogbonnia will return from a ruptured patellar tendon in 2023, but reports indicate he is already back on the field for LA’s offseason program. Hinton and Moa were both added to the roster midseason to compensate for injuries. Hinton had 3 tackles in 4 games, while Moa had 2 in 2 games. They will both be competing for a roster spot or practice squad slot.
Who departed this offseason?
- Breiden Fehoko
- Joe Gaziano
- Christian Covington
- Forrest Merrill
- Tyeler Davison
- Aaron Crawford
Fan favorite Fehoko was not tendered by the Chargers as a restricted free agent this offseason. One of the better run stoppers on the 2022 team, Fehoko’s spot on the roster always seemed somewhat precarious despite his performance, so it’s not surprising he ended up pursuing opportunities elsewhere. He signed with the Steelers on March 30.
Gaziano was in a similar position as a player who felt he had earned a permanent roster spot, but the crowded nature of LA’s depth chart prevented him from seeing consistent time. He also chose to seek opportunity elsewhere, signing with the Falcons on March 27.
Covington, Merrill, Davison, and Crawford all remain free agents. Covington was signed to the active roster early in the season in a swap with Fehoko, then played in 4 games before tearing his pectoral. Merrill spent the entire season on injured reserve and was not tendered by the Chargers as an exclusive rights free agent. Davison and Crawford were both injury fill-ins. Davison spent 6 games on the active roster and had one tackle, while Crawford spent the last three weeks of the season on the practice squad.
Positional need: Medium
This would be low, except that Johnson and Ogbonnia are both coming off season-ending injuries from a season ago. A lot is made of the defensive line’s struggles against the run, and those criticisms are fair, but everyone currently on the roster except for Fox missed at least one game in 2022. A healthy unit in 2023, along with another season of development in Brandon Staley’s defense, should heal most of those wounds.
As far as areas of need, the Chargers should be primarily looking at depth 5-techniques behind Morgan Fox, as well as nose tackle depth behind Austin Johnson. Fox is the best and really only pass rushing threat from the interior currently, which leaves moving one of Khalil Mack or Joey Bosa inside to generate interior pass rush. LA also doesn’t have a solid solution behind Johnson with Fehoko in Pittsburgh. Ogbonnia could potentially play that role, or slide to 3-technique behind Joseph-Day.
Prospects they could be interested in
- Moro Ojomo, Texas
- Brodric Martin, Western Kentucky
- Jerrod Clark, Coastal Carolina
- Dante Stills, West Virginia
- Nesta Jade Silvera, Arizona State
