The veteran defensive tackle signed a one-year deal worth up to $7.5 million with the Chargers after a rough season in Arizona, and there are real reasons to think he can bounce back
The Los Angeles Chargers moved quickly to shore up the interior of their defensive line today, signing veteran defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to a one-year deal worth up to $7.5 million with $6 million guaranteed. Tomlinson was released by the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week, and it took him almost no time to find a new home.
Why the Chargers wanted Tomlinson
Tomlinson brings nine years of NFL experience and a résumé that, until last season, was remarkably consistent. He spent his first four seasons with the New York Giants, then two with the Minnesota Vikings, two with the Cleveland Browns, and most recently one with Arizona. Across those stops he started games for every team he played on and built a reputation as a reliable, run-stuffing presence on the interior.
The Chargers are in the middle of a defensive line overhaul and needed a veteran body to anchor the rotation alongside Teair Tart and Jamaree Caldwell. Justin Eboigbe, TeRah Edwards, and Josh Fuga are also under contract, but the room lacked a proven interior presence with the kind of experience Tomlinson carries. Plugging him into a rotational role gives new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary flexibility without asking a 32-year-old to handle a full workload.
The #Chargers have signed massive DL Dalvin Tomlinson, per his agents @_SportsTrust. He gets a 1-year, $7.5M deal with $6M fully guaranteed. pic.twitter.com/j4xqtnVEPw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2026
His 2025 season in Arizona was rough
There is no way around it. Tomlinson’s year with the Cardinals was the worst of his career by a wide margin. He started all 17 games and finished with 26 tackles, one sack, and one pass defensed. His run defense grade from Pro Football Focus landed at 37.3, ranking 119th among 134 qualifying defensive tackles. His overall grade of 43.2 was the lowest he has ever posted.
The Cardinals signed Tomlinson to a two-year, $29 million contract last offseason, making the production all the more disappointing. Arizona’s defense as a whole underperformed in 2025, and while Tomlinson was far from the only problem, the cap savings from cutting him, roughly $9.4 million, made the decision straightforward for a team looking to reset.
Arizona has since brought back L.J. Collier and re-signed Roy Lopez while banking on younger players like Walter Nolen and Darius Robinson to stay healthy. The Cardinals also hold the third overall pick in the upcoming draft and could target defensive line help there.
The case for a bounce-back in Los Angeles
The Chargers are not paying for the 2025 version of Tomlinson. They are paying for the version who, over his previous eight seasons, never posted a Pro Football Focus grade below 61.2 and only twice finished below 74.9. That is a long track record to bet against based on one bad year, especially one spent on a defense that struggled around him.
The situation in Los Angeles is also more favorable. Tomlinson will not be asked to be the centerpiece. He will rotate in alongside Tart and Caldwell, keeping his snap count manageable and his legs fresh. That kind of usage worked for Da’Shawn Hand with the Chargers in 2025, and there is a reasonable path to Tomlinson following a similar trajectory under O’Leary’s scheme.
The comp pick math works too
Beyond the football fit, the signing is smart from a roster construction standpoint. Because Tomlinson was released by Arizona rather than leaving as an unrestricted free agent, his deal does not count against the compensatory pick formula. That makes him the fourth outside free agent addition by the Chargers this offseason who falls outside the formula, joining center Tyler Biadasz, fullback Alec Ingold, and running back Keaton Mitchell.
For a team trying to build depth while preserving future draft capital, that distinction matters. The Chargers get a proven veteran on a short-term commitment without sacrificing anything on the back end.
What Tomlinson’s role will look like
Tomlinson is not walking into a starting job. He is walking into a rotation where his experience and size can make an impact without the pressure of carrying the defensive front. If he plays closer to his career norms than his 2025 numbers, the Chargers will have gotten one of the better value signings of free agency. If he does not, the one-year deal limits the risk.
At $7.5 million for a player who started 17 games a year ago, the price is low enough that the Chargers can afford to find out.
SOURCE: yahoosports