Jacob Spomer arrived in Chargers camp as an afterthought and, two preseason games later, he’s forcing his way into the conversation at center.
That’s a remarkable turn for an undrafted free agent who barely registered on the pre-draft radar. Pro Football Focus now has the Los Angeles Chargers’ highest-graded center in the NFL through two preseason games, and it’s Spomer, the former Fresno State Bulldog who entered the league with little fanfare and even less name recognition.
His path explains why he was so easy to overlook. After graduating high school in 2020, his true freshman season was pushed back a year by the early days of the covid pandemic.
He spent a season at Diablo Valley College in the Bay Area, where he played offensive tackle, the same spot he handled in high school. From there, he drew offers from Texas State, Missouri State, Sam Houston and Fresno State, and chose to stay close to home with a coaching staff he trusted.
At Fresno State, he kept working at left tackle. Then late in the 2023 season, a season-ending injury knocked him out and left him out for all but four games and the bowl game in the 2024 season.
The move that changed everything came in the offseason before the 2025 season, when Fresno State shifted him to center. At 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, he was a small tackle, but his athleticism and speed made the new position a natural fit.
That upside showed up quickly. Spomer was one of the 18 undrafted free agents the Chargers brought in after the draft, and he came into the organization as a long shot. He was initially viewed as the fourth center on the depth chart behind veteran free agent addition Tyler Biadasz, rookie center/guard Jake Slaughter and second-year player Josh Kaltenberger.
But he made noise fast. During OTAs, he clearly caught the eye of offensive line coach Butch Barry. When training camp opened, Spomer had already moved up to third at center, with Kaltenberger sliding over to guard.
Then came the preseason. Against the Houston Texans, Spomer played the majority of the snaps after Jake Slaughter started the game and quickly exited. He finished that night as the Chargers’ third-highest PFF-graded blocker and did not allow a pressure.
He backed it up the following week against the San Francisco 49ers, again playing most of the game with the second team after Tyler Biadasz was injured earlier in the week. Against the 49ers, Spomer was the Chargers’ highest PFF-graded blocker on the field.
After two preseason games and 102 offensive snaps, he’s not just hanging around. He’s now the highest-graded center in the NFL, and he has still given up zero pressures.
The age is part of the story, too. Because of the delayed start to his college career and the redshirt season, Spomer is already 25 as a rookie.
But the label matters less than the tape. What he’s put on film over the last two weeks has pushed him into undeniable territory.
Right now, Spomer is the Chargers’ backup center. With two rookie centers on the roster, that’s not a clean setup. But with Tyler Biadasz now on season-ending injured reserve, the Chargers may not have to panic at the position the way they might have otherwise.
They could still add a veteran after roster cutdown day, maybe even just for the practice squad. Still, with one preseason game left and cutdown day looming, the former unknown Fresno State lineman has done enough to put himself in position for a spot on the initial 53-man roster.
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With injuries piling up along the offensive line, the Chargers have spent training camp looking for any sign of stability in the middle, and undrafted rookie Jacob Spomer has given them one. Working at center, Spomer has drawn attention for the kind of steady, low-drama practice and game work that coaches tend to notice when the depth chart starts getting thin.
He backed that up with a recent performance that underscored his value in pass protection, finishing with an 82.6 percent pass-blocking rate and not allowing a sack or pressure. With Tyler Biadasz sidelined, Spomers ability to handle center duties has suddenly become more than a nice camp story for Los Angeles, and his path to a larger role may be opening at exactly the right moment. [Read more 🡒]
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Left guard has become the clearest trouble spot, with multiple players getting a look and none separating from the pack. Recent practices have shown the line still working through communication and consistency issues, and for a team built around keeping Herbert upright, that is not the kind of problem the Chargers wanted to be sorting out this soon. [Read more 🡒]