With Odafe Oweh gone, the Chargers will lean on Khalil Mack’s leadership and Tuli Tuipulotu’s rise to fuel the pass rush. Mack doesn’t need to be vintage—just healthy, productive and clutch when it matters most in 2026.
The Los Angeles Chargers are heading into the 2026 season with a very clear question on defense: where is the pass rush going to come from? After losing Odafe Oweh in free agency, the burden now shifts to a familiar face—Khalil Mack—and a rising star in Tuli Tuipulotu.
And while Tuipulotu looks like the future, 2026 might still depend heavily on the past.
Mack is back on a one-year, $18 million deal, choosing to run it back for his 13th NFL season instead of retiring. At 35 years old, nobody’s expecting him to be the same dominant force he was during his Defensive Player of the Year days—but the Chargers don’t need that version of Mack. They just need him to be impactful, consistent and most importantly, available.
Last season showed both sides of where Mack is at this stage of his career. He still flashed high-level production when on the field, finishing with 5.5 sacks despite missing time with injury. But that’s the key concern—durability. The Chargers can’t afford stretches where their top veteran pass rusher isn’t out there, especially now that Oweh is gone.
Oweh’s departure leaves a real void. He was a spark plug after arriving midseason and turned into one of the defense’s most effective edge threats before cashing in with a massive deal elsewhere. That kind of production doesn’t just get replaced overnight. Right now, the Chargers are essentially betting that a combination of Mack’s leadership and Tuipulotu’s continued rise can make up the difference.
Tuipulotu has already proven he’s more than capable of being a centerpiece. Coming off a Pro Bowl-caliber 2025 season with double-digit sack production, he’s quickly become one of the most promising young edge rushers in the league. The expectation now is that he takes another step forward and becomes the guy offenses have to game plan around.
That’s where Mack’s role becomes even more important.
He doesn’t need to lead the team in sacks anymore. What he does need to do is elevate everyone else around him. Mack has always been a technician—strong hands, elite football IQ and the ability to set the edge in both the run and pass game. Even if the burst isn’t quite what it used to be, those traits don’t just disappear with age.
And let’s be honest—this defense is going to need that veteran presence. Whether the Chargers bring in a rotational piece in free agency or draft another edge rusher (which feels likely given how deep the class is), those players will benefit from having someone like Mack in the room. Los Angeles Chargers are clearly counting on that.
The reality is, Mack turning back the clock doesn’t mean posting 15+ sacks again. It means staying healthy, being productive in key moments and helping bridge the gap between what this defense was and what it’s trying to become.
If he can give them 8–10 sacks, set the tone defensively and help unlock Tuipulotu’s full potential, that might be more than enough.
Because in 2026, the Chargers don’t need vintage Khalil Mack.
They just need the version that still knows how to take over when it matters most.