ClutchPoints
The Los Angeles Chargers have had two solid seasons with Jim Harbaugh as head coach and two disastrous playoff appearances. A year after they were pummeled by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card game, the New England Patriots shut them down in the same round and ended their season with a 16-3 defeat.
Something is clearly missing from the Chargers. Los Angeles has multiple needs on both sides of the ball that they can address through free agency and the NFL Draft. They can also help themselves by making a trade. The Chargers should go after is edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
The Bengals pass rusher is scheduled to be a free agent at the start of the league year. That means Hendrickson can sign with a new team in mid-March. However, if the Chargers can entice the Bengals to trade his rights prior to March 11, they could make him a remarkable offer. If that happens, he could eschew free agency and sign a long-term deal with the Chargers.
The benefit to making a trade for Hendrickson before he becomes a free agent is immense. It demonstrates to Hendrickson how much the Chargers want him. It is willing to sacrifice a player or a draft pick to get him when they could gamble and give up nothing for the opportunity to speak with him. The Chargers will send a message to the player that they value Hendrickson above and beyond the money it will pay to sign him to a contract.
It also tells the rest of the players in the league that the Chargers are willing to pay a premium to get the player that they really want. It changes the image of the team when it comes to signing high-quality free agents.
The Chargers had a decent year from a defensive perspective as they ranked 9th in points allowed. They gave up 20.0 points per game and that’s a decent ranking. However, if the Chargers are going to challenge the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs (if they bounce back to top form in 2026), they need to play a dominant level of defense and not just a pretty good one.
The Chargers’ defense focused on the play of linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu. He led the team with 13 sacks, 20 tackles for loss and 49 stops. Additionally, he had 3 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. By the end of the season, opponents were focusing on Tuipulotu and it’s clear that he would benefit from having another pass rusher who can collapse the pocket and wreak havoc.
Fellow linebacker Odafe Oweh was second on the Chargers with 7.5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss along with 28 tackles in 12 games.
Hendrickson was limited to 7 games last season with the Bengals due to a pelvic injury, but the 31-year-old should be back to full health next season.
He led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024...
