5 Chargers including 'unsung hero' ranked among Top 70 NFL free agents for 2026

Though the Los Angeles Chargers are battling a multitude of high-profile injuries – the latest to MVP-candidate quarterback Justin Herbert – they are also 8-4 and currently the No. 1 Wild Card in the AFC Playoffs race.

Herbert’s hand injury and Monday night’s crucial home game against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are at the forefront. But it’s never too early to check on the back burner, where 2026 NFL free agency looms.

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The analytics geeks over at Pro Football Focus have revealed their first rankings of next year’s class, and it’s led by familiar names such as running back Kenneth Walker of the Seahawks, Bengals’ pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, Cowboys’ receiver George Pickens, Brown’s linebacker Devin Bush and two future Hall of Famers in Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce and Buccaneers’ receiver Mike Evans.

While the Bolts could make a run for one of those decorated veterans, they might want to re-sign their own stars first. Because on PFF’s list of the top free agents in 2026, three Chargers are in the Top 22 and five are included in the Top 70.

Behind only Walker, in fact, edge-rusher Khalil Mack is ranked No. 2 by PFF:

“Mack isn’t the same every-down force he was in his peak stretch from 2015 to 2020, but the body of work still speaks louder than the quiet production of his 2025 season,” PFF writes. “His career pass-rush grade sits at 92.6 — seventh among edge defenders since 2014 — and his 750 total pressures since 2014 outpace every player at the position, with only Myles Garrett (129), T.J. Watt (122) and Danielle Hunter (121) topping his 120 sacks in that span.”

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Other Chargers on the list include: running back Najee Harris (16), receiver Keenan Allen (22), edge-rusher Odafe Oweh (43) and defensive tackle Teair Tart.

Says PFF of Tart, “He is the definition of an unsung hero. He is the most important player on the Chargers’ defense not named Derwin James.”

Teair Tart