The Los Angeles Chargers are heading toward training camp with a roster that looks mostly settled, but there are still a couple of spots where Joe Hortiz could decide to get aggressive before the real competition starts on July 28th.
That kind of move would fit Hortiz’s recent track record. He has worked the trade market in each of the past two training camps to add depth or patch up a specific need, and this summer still offers a few possible fits if he wants to keep sharpening the roster.
One area worth watching is the interior defensive line. The Chargers have Teair Tart and Dalvin Tomlinson in place, with Jamaree Caldwell entering his second year, Justin Egboige in his third season and fifth-round rookie Nick Barrett joining the mix.
That gives the group a core, but not much in the way of extra competition for snaps. The room is built around run defense, with enough occasional pass-rush ability to matter, and Justin Eboigbe stands out as the best interior rusher of the bunch.
That is why Arik Armstead has surfaced as a possible trade target. The veteran defensive tackle has been mentioned in offseason trade talks and could be a cut candidate because of his contract and age. Jacksonville already dealt for Ruke Orhorhoro earlier in the offseason, and a post-June 1 trade would make more sense now that Armstead’s dead cap hit has dropped to only five million dollars.
If the Jaguars are serious about moving on from Armstead, Joe Hortiz should be reaching out. Amstead is on the final year of his deal. Armstead is technically a defensive end, he usually lines up as defensive tackle shaded against guards in the B gap and occasionally against tackles.
There is also a connection worth noting: Armstead was with Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel in San Francisco. He posted similar pass-rush metrics in 2025 to Justin Eboigbe, but with more production, and he would bring a veteran presence to a defensive line group that could use one.
A deal like that would have a ripple effect. It would almost certainly lock in six defensive tackles on the 53-man roster, which would make the rest of the roster math even tighter. The flip side is that the Chargers could head into an important season with a thin defensive line rotation, and the league has already shown how valuable deep defensive fronts can be in the playoffs.
Cornerback is the other spot that stands out. Benjamin St-Juste left in free agency after a bounce-back year in Los Angeles, where he played a significant share of the defensive snaps in 2025 as the fourth corner.
That role has not been clearly filled yet, and the Chargers do not have an obvious answer beyond Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart. Deane Leonard adds valuable special teams depth, but his main value remains as a special teams weapon.
Deonte Banks could be a name to monitor there. The former first-round pick has not met expectations with the Giants, but his size and outside style fit the kind of cornerback the Chargers like to use. New York has added several experienced corners, and Banks could be on the outside looking in.
There is also some history between the organizations. Jim and John Harbaugh have sent players and coaches back and forth over the years, and this could be another example if the Chargers decide Banks is the kind of reclamation project they want. The coaching staff has done a strong job with defensive backs in recent seasons, and Banks would at least have a clear path to a role if he landed in Los Angeles.
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The first wave of outside additions was especially telling, with running back Chris Rodriguez joining the group as the lone outside free-agent pickup in that initial pass. For a roster that needed to be built out without much noise, the emphasis was on volume, flexibility and giving the coaching staff as many options as possible once camp opened. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Camp Battle Could Decide How Reliable This Line Really Is
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The appeal of the battle is that it may say as much about the line as it does about either player. Mekari brings a track record, but last season was uneven enough to leave room for doubt, and Milum has the profile of a young lineman who could force the issue if camp goes well. However it plays out, this is the kind of competition that could shape how dependable the Jaguars feel about the right side of their front. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Land A Win-Now Mock Draft That Changes Everything Around Trevor
A recent NFL.com mock draft took a very different approach to Jacksonvilles future, using only current NFL players and a win-now lens to map out what the roster could look like if the Jaguars were trying to accelerate the timeline around Trevor Lawrence. Chad Reuters seven-round exercise used the actual 2025 draft order with a snake format after the first round, and it gave Jacksonville an aggressive mix of help at quarterback, along the offensive line and across the skill positions.
The most eye-catching part was the way the board kept pushing proven talent toward Jacksonville, starting with Bo Nix in the first round and then layering on more immediate upgrades. The mock also had the Jaguars addressing the trenches with Creed Humphrey and adding names like Colston Loveland and Jakobi Meyers, but the pass-rush choice may be the one that really gets people talking, especially with Josh Hines-Allen already in the picture. [Read more 🡒]