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The Bradley Chubb solution
For some, the Los Angeles Chargers may have to swing for the fences this free agency period in order to have a team capable of competing for the Super Bowl next season. However, many Chargers fans could also want the organization to keep as many key players as possible on the roster. One of those current players is star edge rusher Odafe Oweh. With a breakout season this year, his price and value grew exponentially, to the point the Chargers may not have been able to afford him.
However, with the release of one of the NFL’s premier edge rushing talents by the Dolphins, two of the Chargers’ biggest issues can be solved.
For the Chargers, they can hypothetically do anything they please, as they have the most cap space in the NFL. However, with a lot of players on the defensive side of the ball set to hit free agency, retaining them all could be a unique challenge. Right now, it seems as if the most coveted edge rusher on the market, Bengals star Trey Hendrickson, could command a deal worth over 25 million dollars annually. At that price, a player like Oweh could wish to negotiate in that region.
Bradley Chubb’s Release Could Reshape the Market
Now though, what with Bradley Chubb’s release, many NFL teams who could have wanted a potentially cheaper option in Oweh could go all out to acquire a player like Chubb. While Chubb is the older option, and someone who has had injury troubles throughout his career, his price range would not necessarily be in the Hendrickson/Oweh territory.
Spotrac currently projects Oweh to earn a four year deal worth 77 millions dollars. While the Chargers may have to break the bank to get it done, they will perhaps have less competition to get a deal over the line. However, another solution presents itself when it comes to Chubb: maybe just sign the guy yourself.
Not only is Odafe Oweh on the market, but Khalil Mack. And while he seems eager to return to the team, that could change. In an ideal world, both Oweh and Mack would return alongside Tuli Tuipolotu. Now though, with Chubb on the market, should either player leave, the Chargers may just take a swing at him.
A High-Risk, High-Reward Move Could Define the Offseason
After all, while the injury risk is real, he is someone who has the stats that prove his elite talent level. Last year, he had eight sacks, 48 pressures, and 22 stops. In 2023, he posted some of the highest PFF grades of his entire career, compiling an overall grade of 88.0 with an 84.9 pass rushing grade and an 88.5 coverage grade.
Still, people also forget how prolific he was in his time with Denver, where he spent the first four seasons of his career. He had a total of 34 pressures and forty four sacks in his time there, and just has not stopped with the Dolphins.
For the Chargers, this just makes their offseason decisions that much more intriguing. It also makes a couple of ideas that much more possible as well.
Christopher Sheppard Christopher Sheppard is a passionate and knowledgeable sports journalist based in Englewood, NJ pursuing a role in the sports media industry. He covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, focusing on the Dolphins, Chargers, and Buccanneers. More about Christopher Sheppard
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