Pro Bowl fullback Alec Ingold arrives, bringing agility and receiving prowess. A former Dolphin, his offensive versatility could reshape the Chargers' attack.
The Los Angeles Chargers did not necessarily need to add a fullback this offseason, but they did exactly that when they reportedly signed former Miami Dolphins FB Alec Ingold last night:
Mike McDaniel's takeover of the offense from Greg Roman is going to result in a handful of roster effects like this.
While Scott Matlock is still on the Chargers roster through the 2026 season, he's not the type of fullback that McDaniel likes to use in his offense. At 6'0" and 296 lbs, Matlock is massive for the position. That size brings with it the type of power to throw big blocks, but it limits his athleticism.
Alec Ingold is an inch taller and about 70 lbs lighter than Matlock, and is best known for hurdling over defenders that are trying to tackle him head-on.
Ingold, who was signed by the Dolphins in the same offseason that they hired Mike McDaniel to be their head coach and played FB in McDaniel's offense in each of the last four seasons, caught 47 passes and ran the ball 20 times over the last four years.
By comparison, Matlock has caught 8 passes in the last two seasons as the Chargers starting fullback. He did not carry the ball at all. He's clearly there for his blocking, while Ingold is more like a larger halfback that can be used as a run blocker.
During his rookie season, Matlock was simply a defensive lineman and special teamer. It wasn't until his sophomore season that he was given an opportunity at the fullback spot, and he's been on the field for about 1/3 of the Chargers offensive snaps ever since (while still playing a bit role on defense and special teams).
I don't think there is any place for Matlock in McDaniel's offense. The team could cut him and save about $1M in cap space, although I suppose it's possible that Chargers GM Joe Hortiz and defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary decide to keep Matlock around and give him a bigger share of defensive snaps than what he had in 2025 (18 snaps, 2% of the team's total).
There's little chance that Ingold's touches (about 1 per game) go up from what he was getting in Miami, but it's very clear that McDaniel views him as a key part of getting the team's running and passing game to function the way he envisions it. Although, it's worth mentioning that Ingold was only on the field for the Dolphins about 33-38% of the time, roughly the same amount that Chargers fans saw Matlock on the field with the offense.
So, while Ingold may be important to one element of the offense, his impact likely won't be seismic.