This upcoming NFL offseason is an extremely important one for the Los Angeles Chargers. This is a team that has always struggled in the playoffs, but GM Joe Hortiz and HC Jim Harbaugh have done a great job of getting this team in a position to compete. The Chargers finished 11-6 in two seasons so far under Harbaugh, but they have yet to win a playoff game. With more experience under the belt, can the Chargers finally get over the hump with Mike McDaniel as the OC?
The Chargers’ main priority this offseason will be to fix the offensive line that played so poorly for the entire season. Starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt will return for training camp, but the center and right guard positions must be improved to protect Justin Herbert and to elevate the running game led by Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal. Left guard, Zion Johnson, has played well as a run blocker, and the Chargers should not be in a position to replace him.
It should be noted that Johnson can play right guard and center as well. If the Chargers find themselves bringing in a left guard in free agency or the NFL Draft, Johnson can slide over to another spot. If the Chargers can enter the 2026-27 season with a fully healthy offensive line, Herbert will benefit tremendously.
Two of the three Chargers players under contract who MUST be cut are on the offensive line. The Chargers will issue many cuts, but they also have some crucial players they want to keep in the building who are upcoming free agents. LA has the 3rd most cap space in the NFL entering the offseason at $87.2 million.
Let’s discuss the three players the Bolts must move on from this offseason.
Right Guard Mekhi Becton
Contract: 2-year – $20 million – $12.2 million Cap Hit in 2026
Mechi Becton is the most obvious candidate to be cut this offseason for the Chargers. Rumors have already surfaced about the potential of it happening. Becton had a hard time staying on the field in his first season in Los Angeles. Becton appeared in 15 games in 2025 but was unable to finish games because of various injuries. His inability to stay on the field and put on a great product was a big part of the collapse of the entire offensive line’s production last season.
Becton finished the season with a PFF grade of 35.7, 79th out of 81 qualified right guards.
There is no doubt that the Bolts will have a new right guard in 2026. If some chance that Becton remains at the position, they must be sold on the fact that he would somehow remain healthy and play/protect like he did when he won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia.
Center Bradley Bozeman
Contract: 2-year – $6.5 million (extension) – $6.93 million Cap Hit in 2026
It is time for the Chargers to move on from Bradley Bozeman. Bozeman played almost every single snap, if not every single snap, at center for the Chargers this season. His availability was nice to have for Justin Herbert, but his production was terrible. It was not good in 2024 either. The Bolts must either slide Zion Johnson to center or bring in a new center this offseason. There will be some major upgrades on the market.
Bozeman ended the season with a PFF grade of 51.7, 40th of 40 qualified centers.
The Chargers could look to re-sign Andre James, who they added to the roster last season. He did not get much action in 2025, but he has proven to play well when he is on the field. James is a free agent and knows the Chargers’ system. If Tyler Linderbaum hits free agency, the Bolts should be all over him to protect Herbert for the future.
Punter JK Scott
Contract: 2-year – $ 6 million (extension) – $3.8 million Cap Hit in 2026
JK Scott has been the Bolts’ punter since 2022. He came over from the Jacksonville Jaguars after a solid start to his career with the Green Bay Packers. Scott punted well at Alabama and won two national championships under Nick Saban.
Scott’s time with the Chargers has been decent. He is not a “bad” punter by any means, but the Chargers need to move on from his style. Scott has a strong leg, but his style is to kick the ball extremely high to avoid a big return. He is first in the NFL in hang-time percentage as LA only allowed one punt return since 2024.
The thing, however, is that Scott is not great at flipping the field. There have been multiple instances in games where Scott struggled to punt the ball more than 35 yards. He could not flip the field at all against the Houston Texans last season, and it proved costly in a close loss.
Cutting Scott does not move the needle for the Chargers, but if the Bolts replaced him with a punter who has a big leg, then they could play the field-advantage battle more often, and if you know Jim Harbaugh, that is something he cares about.
Scott ended the season with a Net Punt Average of 41.43, 18th in the NFL, and only 24 punts inside the 20, 19th in the NFL.
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