Chargers bolster defensive front with veteran tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. Can he reignite his pass-rushing spark in a reduced role?
The Los Angeles Chargers added to their free agent haul today, according to Ian Rapaport, when they signed defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to a one-year contract:
First, let's talk about Tomlinson. The 2nd round pick of the New York Giants in 2017, Tomlinson was one of the very best interior defensive linemen in the NFL for five-or-so years, including some time spent in Minnesota with the Vikings.
By time he got to the Browns in 2023, his ability to hold the point of attack in run defense was starting to decline, but he was still a pretty good pass rusher for his position.
In 2025, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals in hopes of reigniting his career. Instead, the pass rushing ability seemed to fall apart on him. At 32-years old, I have my doubts that he'll ever be the same player he was before, but I still like this move by the Chargers.
Tomlinson has regularly played on 60% or more of the defensive snaps of his team, and has been a regular contributor to special teams throughout his career. With the Chargers, his opportunity will come in taking snaps away from Justin Eboigbe (40% of defensive snaps in 2025) and sharing time with Teair Tart as well as Jamarree Caldwell.
Perhaps the team uses Tomlinson as a pass rush specialist, of sorts, and use his presence to balance out the loss of Odafe Oweh in free agency. In a reduced role, and able to put more energy and effort into each play, I like the idea that Dalvin Tomlinson can be an effective addition to the Chargers defense.
The one bummer here is that this all but kills the chances of Da'shawn Hand returning to the team, after a pretty good one-year stint in the defensive line rotation, despite him being younger (and, theoretically, less expensive) than Tomlinson.
Another reason why the Chargers might've been interested in signing Tomlinson is that he was released by the Cardinals instead of reaching free agency on his own. The same is true of three other Chargers signings this offseason: FB Alec Ingold, C Tyler Biadasz and running back Keaton Mitchell. These four signings will not work against the Chargers in the compensatory pick formula for the 2027 NFL Draft.
As of right now, the Chargers would receive a 3rd round pick next year as compensation for the loss of Odafe Oweh.
The Los Angeles Chargers still have the third most cap space in the NFL at $65.4 million and are still about $35 million away from the NFL's (soft) salary floor. Unless they sign a high-priced WR (ex: Jauan Jennings), it might be difficult for them to get there. This is why I continue to think that this could be the right time for the team to make a big swing trade.