Chargers best free-agent fits: Isaac Seumalo, Charlie Kolar, Kenneth Gainwell, more

The negotiating window for NFL free agency will open at 9 a.m. PT Monday, and the Los Angeles Chargers are positioned to be one of the most active teams in this year’s cycle.

The Chargers cut guard Mekhi Becton, tight end Will Dissly and tackle Savion Washington earlier this week. Those moves saved an additional $14.58 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap, and gave the Chargers close to $100 million in total cap space entering Friday. After factoring in draft-pick compensation, roster minimums and in-season budgeting, they had around $80 million to spend.

General manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh already started digging into that spending space Friday when they agreed to terms with center Tyler Biadasz, according to a league source. Biadasz, 28, was a surprise cut recently by the Washington Commanders after two seasons as their starting center, which made him eligible to sign before next week’s start of free agency. Biadasz was originally a fourth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys and made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2022.

Hortiz and Harbaugh still have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks, particularly along the interior of the offensive line. Becton was their starter at right guard in 2025. Left guard Zion Johnson is a pending free agent. The Chargers could have three new interior starters in 2026. The interior is just one of several positions groups the Chargers have to address in some capacity through free agency and the draft.

Let’s take a look at some options. Over the past two months, I have scouted hundreds of unrestricted free agents for my top 150 rankings. Now we will apply that league-wide scouting to the Chargers roster.

Here are my favorite free-agent fits for the Chargers.

Johnson is going to have a robust market in free agency, and the Chargers could end up pivoting at left guard because of the price point. David Edwards is another younger option, but his market could end up in the same range as Johnson’s. Among other left guards, Seumalo is my favorite fit. He has a checkered injury history and is entering his age-32 season. But he will be cheaper. And when he is on the field, Seumalo is a polished technician who can provide stability at either guard spot.

Right guard is thinner than left guard in this year’s free-agent class. Most of the options at this position have question marks, from age to injury history. Teller is entering his age-31 season. He is not the elite player he was earlier in his career. He has missed time the past two seasons with injuries. But he remains an effective, physical mauler in the run game. The Chargers are hoping tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt both return as All-Pro-level players in 2026. If that happens, they can try to piece the interior together between those bookends. Teller makes a lot of sense within this framework.

Vera-Tucker has the potential to be one of the best value signings of this free-agency period. When he is on the field, he is an above-average starter at right guard. However, he has suffered three season-ending injuries in his five NFL seasons, including a torn triceps last season. Vera-Tucker’s athleticism would fit very well into McDaniel’s scheme. The Chargers would need to have a contingency plan at right guard if they sign Vera-Tucker. That contingency could come in the draft.

After moving on from Dissly, the Chargers need to add some blocking to their tight end room. I think they will be prioritizing athleticism at this position within McDaniel’s scheme. That will be a deviation from some of the bigger-bodied blockers the Chargers rostered at tight end in previous offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s system. I am very high on Kolar. He is a dominant run blocker with outstanding movement skills. I also think he has untapped potential as a pass catcher.

The Chargers have Omarion Hampton as their top running back. Kimani Vidal is an exclusive rights free agent who should be back in 2026. I think the Chargers will be looking to add a third running back to this mix in free agency. Gainwell is an excellent receiver who can threaten from multiple alignments in the passing game. He would bring a different flavor to the Chargers’ running back room. McDaniel could use Gainwell’s skill set creatively.

Da’Shawn Hand is a pending free agent. If the Chargers are unable to re-sign him, they will need to add a disciplined, stout run stuffer to play next to Teair Tart, who signed an extension in January. Hortiz has found value signings on the interior of the defensive line over his first two offseasons. Poona Ford was that player in 2024. Hand was that player in 2025. The Chargers could continue this trend and look for another low-cost option to fill this role. Lopez is a good fit. He can stand up double-teams in the run game, and he showed the technique and instincts necessary to cover two gaps, shed blockers and make tackles.

The Chargers need another safety behind Derwin James Jr. and Elijah Molden. James will continue to play regularly at nickel. Given the current status of the roster, Molden and 2025 sixth-round pick R.J. Mickens would be the two deep safeties in these looks. The Chargers traded Gilman away in October for edge rusher Odafe Oweh, but he is a pending free agent. Gilman was with new Chargers defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary in college at Notre Dame. They were together again in 2024, when O’Leary was the Chargers’ safeties coach. Why not bring back a player who is intimately familiar with O’Leary and the Chargers’ scheme?

If the Chargers can re-sign Oweh and Khalil Mack in their edge room, they do not need to be active in the edge market. However, if the Chargers lose one or both of these players, they could look to free agency to add at this position. Ossai is a smaller speed rusher. He is very instinctive on stunts and twists. Let’s say the Chargers re-sign Mack, but Oweh walks in free agency. A trio of Tuli Tuipulotu, Mack and Ossai would be very intriguing. Ossai’s speed would complement the power of Tuipulotu and Mack.

The Chargers have Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart and Donte Jackson in their corner room. The defensive staff is also high on Nikko Reed, a 2025 undrafted free agent. But Benjamin St-Juste is a pending free agent, and I think the Chargers should be looking to add a piece to this room. My preferred option would be for them to target a cornerback early in the draft, perhaps as high as No. 22 in the first round. If they are going to search in free agency instead, Brown is a good fit. He has size as an outside corner, and I think his feel in zone coverage will translate well into O’Leary’s system.