Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!
We'll run a Mailbag each month during the offseason. Send in submissions for the Mailbag on Twitter @EricLSmith or by email at eric.smith@chargers.nfl.com.
Off we go...
What is the Chargers plan at center now that Bradley Bozeman has retired? (Fred via email)
Well, we know the Chargers will certainly be in the market for a new center after Bradley Bozeman announced his retirement from the NFL after an eight-year career.
A quick note on Boze: he gave his all to the Bolts over the past two years, sometimes playing through injury, and was thought highly of enough that he was twice a team captain. Plus, his work in the community is something that others should strive to match.
But his departure does mean the Chargers have a hole in the middle of their offensive line as free agency approaches.
The Chargers can now attack this one of two ways.
In free agency, where they have roughly $85 million in cap space, and where there will be some options available. Or in the draft, where they could look to take a young player and develop him into a starting-caliber player.
Let's tackle free agency first.
There will surely be more proven options here with players such as Lloyd Cushenberry already being released by the Titans.
Other players, such as Baltimore's Tyler LInderbaum and Buffalo's Connor McGovern, for example, are slated to be free agents. But keep in mind they might even reach the market if they choose to re-sign with their own teams.
If Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz and the front office want to dip their toes in the free agency pond for centers, they will likely have options. But those players will come with a heftier price tag than cheaper talent in the draft.
As for the draft, draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic only had two centers in his Top 100 rankings with Florida's Jake Slaughter (No. 83) and Texas A&M's Trey Zuhn III (No. 96).
Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network, by the way, doesn't have any centers in the Top 50 of his draft rankings.
Based on those rankings, perhaps a mid-to-late round pick is the way the Bolts approach center in the draft.
Either way, the Chargers are going to need somebody to play center for them in 2026, and the odds are high that player is not currently on the roster.
It will be fascinating to see how the Chargers go about finding their next center, a player who is crucial to the offensive line and must have a strong rapport with Justin Herbert, too.
Do you think this is the year Joe Hortiz makes a splash in free agency? (Mike via email)
We'll certainly find out in the next week or so.
As a reminder, the NFL's legal tampering period takes place from Monday at 9 a.m. (PT) up until 1 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday.
Teams are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents at the start of the 2026 New League Year, which begins at 1 p.m. (PT) on March 11.
And, as of this Mailbag posting on Wednesday morning, the Chargers are projected to have roughly $85 million in salary cap space, the fourth-most in the league.
Hortiz was asked after the season how he planned on spending that ample cap space and said some notable internal names — Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh and Zion Johnson — could potentially be the focal point in the early days.
"I don't want to spend recklessly, I know that. We have a number of guys that are up and hopefully we can let them eat into some of that cap space. I'd like to give some of that to them," Hortiz said. "I think you have to make smart decisions in free agency. I've said it over and over, if you chase perceived needs in free agency and the draft then you end up, more often than not, overpaying or making a mistake.
"We do have to be calculated, have to be smart. We have to be all-in on the player and believe in the player. We'll spend money, but we're going to spend money internally, too, because there's a lot of guys we'd like to have back," Hortiz added.
So, do the Chargers make a big swing in free agency this year? I think that question centers (no pun intended) on potential external free agents, some of which were mentioned above.
If the Bolts bring back some of their internal guys first, that will obviously cut into that $85 million.
Then, you have to be careful not to, as Hortiz put it, "overpay and make a mistake" based on a perceived need.
One final thing I'll add is this.
Hortiz and his staff have been excellent the past two years in finding low-risk, high-reward external free agent signings. Those deals, more recently with players such as Donte Jackson and Da'Shawn Hand, have helped the Bolts get to 11 wins and back-to-back playoff appearances.
However, you can be sure that Hortiz and Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh aren't satisfied with just making the playoff dance. They want to win and go far in the tournament, too.
We'll see if that sense of urgency shows up with how the Chargers approach free agency this time around.
What is your sense of how the Chargers feel about Oronde Gadsden? Do they see him as the long-term TE1, or do you think if Kenyon Sadiq is the top player on their board when they're on the clock at 22 that they would strongly consider drafting him? He'd be such a great weapon for Justin. (via Twitter)
The Chargers are excited about what Oronde Gadsden's potential, especially as the Bolts undergo a revamp on offense under Mike McDaniel.
Gadsden was solid as a rookie, catching 49 passes for 664 yards and three touchdowns. Plus, he was a star during the offseason program has he showed an incredible rapport right away with Herbert.
McDaniel didn't mention Gadsden specifically in his intro presser but said that the host of young talent the Chargers have on offense, including Omarion Hampton and Ladd McConkey, were on his draft radar when he was in Miami.
"Well, first and foremost, they are all talented players that I was, in the draft process, kind of targeting on the other side of the country," McDaniel said.
However, I don't think Gadsden's presence would prevent the Chargers from taking Kenyon Sadiq in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft if the Oregon tight end is still on the board.
Sadiq is widely viewed as a Top 20 prospect, with Jeremiah (No. 16) and Brugler (No. 20) both having him in a similar spot.
Jeremiah held a conference call before the 2026 Combine and noted that in the two-plus decades he has known Hortiz, he's seen him take a position even if they have players already in place.
"You go back to the Baltimore organization when they took Jonathan Ogden when they didn't have a need at tackle," Jeremiah said.
"They took Todd Heap when they didn't have a need at tight end and they Jamal Lewis when they didn't have a need at running back. They're not going to pass on a great player that would happen to fall in their lap," Jeremiah added.
So, we shouldn't be surprised if the Chargers do take Sadiq in Round 1, even with Gadsden on the roster.
However, given that Sadiq was a monster at the Combine and posted the fastest 40-yard dash ever for a tight end at 4.39 seconds, it's fair to wonder if the former Oregon standout will be there when the Chargers pick at 22nd overall.
