The Chargers’ cutdown day wasn’t just about getting to 53. It was about turning roster churn into draft capital, and Joe Hortiz squeezed real value out of a busy day.
Los Angeles made two trades while trimming the roster, sending 2026 undrafted free agent cornerback Avery Smith to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 sixth-round pick and moving 2025 undrafted free agent TeRah Edwards to the Carolina Panthers for a 2028 sixth-round pick. In both cases, the Chargers avoided the waiver-wire risk and came away with future picks instead.
That matters because cutdown day can tell you a lot about a roster. When teams are forced to cut players who get claimed elsewhere, it usually says something about how deep that group is. When they can trade away players instead of losing them for nothing, that points to a different kind of strength: enough depth that other teams are willing to pay to keep those players off waivers.
That was the situation here. The Chargers had two players other teams clearly didn’t want to gamble on, and that’s a useful sign for a roster still being shaped at the back end.
The offensive line was part of that picture, too. Chargers play-by-play announcer and host of the Chargers Weekly podcast Matt "Money" Smith said on his other podcast on the BLEAV network that he was made aware the Chargers had trade discussions with other teams on four of their offensive lineman before cutdowns. There was plenty of line movement around the league, but Los Angeles ultimately chose to keep all of its offensive line depth and protect those players on the initial 53-man roster.
Smith’s move to Seattle makes sense on multiple levels. He would have been buried on the depth chart in Los Angeles, and the Seahawks - who run the same defense under head coach Mike MacDonald - already had plenty of film on him in that system. Seattle gets a young corner it liked enough to keep away from waivers, while the Chargers collect draft compensation for an undrafted free agent in the next class.
Edwards’ path was different, but the result was the same. Carolina needed defensive linemen and wasn’t going to wait and hope he reached them on waivers, especially after his preseason showing against the Houston Texans.
He gets a roster spot after spending a season developing on the Chargers practice squad and then going through a second training camp. The Panthers give up a late future pick to address a need, and the Chargers get something back for a player they helped develop.
The Avery Smith deal also means Los Angeles has fully restocked its 2027 draft picks. The Chargers may still add more through compensatory selections tied to losing Odafe Oweh and potentially Zion Johnson.
In Other News...
Panthers Fans Should Notice The QB Who Keeps Forcing Bigger Moments
The Panthers decision to keep three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster says plenty about how much they wanted to preserve flexibility at the most important position, and it also puts an undrafted rookie into the conversation in a way few teams would have expected. Haynes King, who came out of Georgia Tech, turned enough heads in the preseason Hall of Fame Game to make his case, even while dealing with a hamstring injury.
Deion Sanders added another layer to the story by pointing back to a game when King helped Georgia Tech beat Colorado, a reminder that his biggest moments have a habit of showing up when the stakes rise. For Carolina, that makes King more than a camp success story. It gives the Panthers a young quarterback whose value may keep growing every time the lights get brighter. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Linebacker Shakeup Just Cost Carolina A Recent Draft Pick
The Panthers final roster trim brought a quick change at inside linebacker, and Trevin Wallace was the one who lost out. New York put in a claim for the 2024 third-round pick after Carolina released him, a move that came after the Panthers added veteran Bobby Okereke and reshaped the depth chart heading into the opener.
Carolinas Week 1 group now features Devin Lloyd, Okereke, Claudin Cherelus and Jackson Kuwatch, leaving a very different look than the one Wallace was trying to crack in camp. For a team still sorting out its linebacker rotation, the loss of a recent draft pick is another reminder that roster decisions in late August can carry real consequences well into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Fans Have One More Reason To Watch Haynes King
Haynes King has already given Panthers fans a memorable early glimpse of why he is worth watching. Signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 NFL Draft, the former Georgia Tech quarterback wasted little time making an impression by scoring the game-winning touchdown in Carolinas Hall of Fame Game win, a reminder that he brings more than just camp-body intrigue to the roster battle.
Kings path to this point has made him a familiar name to college football followers, especially after his notable run at Georgia Tech and the standout showing against Colorado that helped define his profile. Even Deion Sanders took note of no longer having to deal with him, and for Carolina the bigger question now is whether that competitive edge can keep turning preseason moments into something much more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]