As stated previously the Chargers have underwhelmed thus far in the Jim Harbaugh era but year 3 may certainly be the breakout season for the Harbaugh/Herbert pairing. With the presence of Justin Herbert along with maybe the best offensive coaching staff in the NFL and decent at worst offensive personnel, the Chargers will be in good shape on offense. The defense with the loss of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and the onboarding of a rookie defensive coordinator will be the bigger concern for Los Angeles. The personnel that the team has on defense will loom large for the team and here I will go into detail analyzing the front seven of the Chargers heading into the 2026 season.
Set to start at the first of the two edge rusher spots is veteran Teair Tart who is a strong starter in the NFL. Tart over the past two seasons has graded in the well above average range among players at his position which is the third time in five seasons outside of his rookie year where he has done that. However, Tart does struggle to consistently maintain that level of play as in the remaining two seasons he graded in the middle of the pack and in the below average range. However, Tart has consistently played in a reserve role thus far in the NFL logging a max of just 520 snaps in a season. Now that Tart transitions to being a starter it will be interesting to see how he looks and if he can maintain his strong play. But regardless I believe that Tart presents the Chargers with a very strong option to start at the first of the two edge rusher spots for the team.
Set to start at the nose tackle spot is Dalvin Tomlinson who is typically very good, but who had a down year during the 2025 season. Tomlinson in every season prior to 2025 graded in the well above average range among players at his position before grading amongst the worst during 2025. Perhaps it was an aberration, but Tomlinson will play next season at age 32 so it remains to be seen how productive he will be. However, 32 years old typically means a player is still in or around his prime and the 2025 season was the one season where he did not play well so I would bank on him recapturing the borderline elite form that he had with regularity prior to the 2025 campaign.
Set to start at the second edge rusher spot is 2025 3rd rounder Jamaree Caldwell who had a very strong rookie season. Caldwell performed at a very strong level as a rookie, grading in the top third among players at his position despite being in year one, which is very difficult to do. Based on his exceptional rookie year, Caldwell is in line to become a potential star or at least a consistently very good player on the defensive front for the Chargers.
Set to start at the will linebacker spot is 2023 2nd rounder Tuli Tuipulotu who has shown some promise in the NFL thus far although perhaps not quite living up to his high draft billing as of yet. In all three seasons in the NFL Tuipulotu has graded in the above average range among players at his position but he has been far from elite. Perhaps he can take the next step heading into year 4 where he can start to produce at an even higher borderline elite level.
Set to start at the second of the linebacker spots at left inside linebacker is 2023 3rd rounder Daiyan Henley who has had his ups and downs thus far in the NFL. Henley barely played as a rookie but looked solid when he did play. In year 2 in 2024 Henley had a very strong season grading in the above average to well above average range in almost 1000 snaps worth of action. However, Henley regressed in year 3 in 2025, grading below average in that regard among his peers. Henley could certainly come into his own during the 2026 season and prove to be a consistently above average starter for Los Angeles, however.
Starting at the right inside linebacker spot is veteran Denzel Perryman who like Henley has had his ups and downs thus far in the NFL. Perryman, the former 2nd rounder, in 11 seasons has graded in the above average range 5 times, which included being graded as a borderline elite to an elite player on more than one occasion as well. Perryman even warranted being graded as the 2nd best overall linebacker in the sport in one season, although he played in mostly a reserve role during that year. However, Perryman has still graded below average more than half the time including for three seasons in a row and will turn 34 next season. Perhaps Perryman is better suited in a reserve role for the Chargers given his inconsistencies and age.
Rounding out the Chargers’ starting front seven is star veteran Khalil Mack who remains one of the better if not one of the best front seven players in the game today. Mack, the three-time first team all-pro and former defensive player of the year has declined in recent years and will play next season at 35 years old. However, he is still very good and if he was an A+ caliber player in his prime, I would grade him as an A- caliber player as of now.
The Chargers have some noteworthy names in their reserve front seven unit that could loom large in terms of providing the team with some depth and/or players stepping into starting roles given some of the needs the Chargers currently have. The Chargers drafted linebacker/edge defender Akheem Mesidor in the second round of the 2026 draft who was a second team All-American in his final season playing for the University of Miami. Mesidor has star potential and could provide the Chargers with a very strong player to supplement their front seven this upcoming season. 2024 3rd round linebacker Junior Colson had a disappointing rookie season and did not play in 2025, however he was still drafted pretty highly and if he can live up to that billing, the Chargers could have another strong reserve player. The likes of linebackers Troy Dye and Bud Dupree have shown a borderline elite ceiling in the NFL but are far too inconsistent to be starters. However, if either is on their A game, it would bode the Chargers quite well. 2024 4th rounder Justin Eboigbe was listed as a starter on the defensive line for quite some time, but Jim Harbaugh/Chris O’Leary have since moved him to a reserve role. Finally, 2025 UDFA linebacker Marlowe Max played at an above average to a well above average level in very limited rookie snaps and could present the Chargers with another strong reserve player. A breakdown of the Chargers’ front seven can be found below.
2026 Chargers Currently Listed Front Seven Starters
LDE – Teair Tart – B to B+, has played mostly in a reserve role thus far in the NFL but now transitioning to starter
NT – Dalvin Tomlinson – B+ before abysmal 2025 season where he graded near bottom of the NFL, remains to be seen if he can recapture strong form as he is aging
RDE – Jamaree Caldwell – B to B+ as a rookie 3rd rounder in 2025, in line to become a potential star
WLB – Tuli Tuipulotu – B-, former 2nd rounder has been solid but not spectacular
LILB – Daiyan Henley – C+ to B-, high ceiling but inconsistent
RILB – Denzel Perryman – C+, potential weak link, been below average for three straight seasons, but has shown very high ceiling prior
SLB – Khalil Mack – A-
Key 2026 Chargers Front Seven Reserves
ED – Akheem Mesidor – 2026 1st rounder
LB – Junior Colson – 2024 3rd rounder, poor rookie season, DNP in ’25, could live up to potential in year 3
LB – Troy Dye – C+, borderline elite ceiling, far too inconsistent
LB – Bud Dupree – C+, borderline elite ceiling, far too inconsistent
DL/ED – Justin Eboigbe – C+ to B-, solid but not spectacular thus far, still improving
LB – Marlowe Max – B to B+ in very limited rookie snaps as 2025 UDFA
