The Chargers roster for the 2026 season is emerging as the busiest stage of free agency that has transpired.
Now, as the NFL draft quickly approaches, the Bolts have been viewed as a middle-of-the-pack team. Perhaps, general manager Joe Hortiz’s work in April will bolster the team’s odds of being a Super Bowl contender.
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Here’s a roundup of the Chargers’ post-free agency power rankings.
FOX Sports: No. 12
The Chargers’ No. 1 offseason mission was clear: Find a better way to protect QB Justin Herbert. So, armed with plenty of cap space, they signed … center Tyler Biadasz and guard Cole Strange? Did they miss the memo?
NFL.com: No. 11
I’m still marinating on what the Chargers have done and not done, but it’s been a little curious, with a major shakeup on the interior O-line. Bradley Bozeman retired, Mekhi Becton was cut and Zion Johnson walked in free agency. They got their center in Tyler Biadasz, with Cole Strange the presumed right guard. That means they still need a left guard, and it could come down to the draft. Simply adding Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater back from injured reserve is a huge lift; making the playoffs without both bookends was a stunning achievement, honestly. But we saw what the line looked like in the postseason, and I am not sure it’s vastly improved right now. The Bolts had the cap space to do more, but GM Joe Hortiz all but told us they’d be measured. Maybe we should have listened.
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theScore: No. 15
After watching Justin Herbert get battered around like a punching bag, the Chargers didn’t go for a home run in free agency. Instead, they signed veteran center Tyler Biadasz to a three-year deal and inked former first-round guard Cole Strange to a two-year pact. Biadasz should beef up the interior, but Strange doesn’t inspire much confidence after being PFF‘s 57th-ranked guard last year. Bringing speedster Keaton Mitchell into the backfield feels like a perfect fit for Mike McDaniel’s offense and could pay serious dividends.
CBS Sports: No. 10
Adding Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator will liven up the run game if the star tackles come back healthy. By adding fullback Alec Ingold, it’s clear Jim Harbaugh is going back to his roots of being a physical running team.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Where Chargers rank in latest NFL power rankings after free agency