The Chargers are set at nearly every position ahead of training camp, but they would benefit from adding another body to the interior offensive line room.

Pro Football Network suggests that Los Angeles should sign guard Will Hernandez.

He hasn’t established himself as a starter-level NFL lineman, and this is a make-or-break season for him. Since he’s still a question mark, it would make sense to bring in a guy like Will Hernandez, who has been playing the best football of his career.

Hernandez will be 30 when the new season begins, but he’s coming off his best season as a pro. After adding Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton to their backfield, the Chargers appear poised to deploy a ground-and-pound rushing attack under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. Adding a player with experience would be wise, and he’d likely come at an affordable price. 

Hernandez played in only five games for the Cardinals last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. However, he was on track for a career year, playing in a primarily gap scheme for the first time, which is the scheme that offensive coordinator Greg Roman runs. 

Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, and Andre James are going to be battling it out for the starting center job, with whoever doesn’t come out on top as the likely contingency plan at left guard. It could work out, but the left guard spot might be in better hands with a proven veteran, like Hernandez.

According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, between 2022 and 2023, Hernandez ranked in the top 10 among guards by ESPN’s pass block win rate and run block win rate metrics. The only other guards who ranked in the top 10 across both seasons were Landon Dickerson and Zack Martin, two of the league’s highest-paid players at the position.

Hernandez, the 332-pounder, plays with the mean streak and physicality that Jim Harbaugh covets at the position.