The Chargers signed wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. to a one-season deal reportedly worth up to $5 million on Monday, adding depth and experience. Three of the Chargers’ nine draft picks last month were receivers, as General Manager Joe Hortiz and Coach Jim Harbaugh sought to replenish the position. In their first draft together, Hortiz and Harbaugh picked Ladd McConkey of Georgia in the second round and USC’s Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson of Michigan in the seventh. Veteran receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were jettisoned as salary cap casualties in March. Chark, 27, spent this past s ..read more

COSTA MESA — The Chargers said Monday they picked up the fifth-year option on offensive lineman Rashawn Slater’s contract, which means, as Coach Jim Harbaugh said the other day, he’s “locked in” at left tackle for at least the next two seasons. It also means he’ll get a massive raise for 2025. Slater’s base salary jumps from a little less than $3 million for the upcoming season to more than $19 million for the 2025 season, according to figures compiled by the website overthecap.com. Slater was a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie after he was picked in the first round in 2021. But he didn’t earn a ..read more

COSTA MESA — The Chargers addressed another pressing need when they selected Justin Eboigbe, a defensive tackle from Alabama, in the fourth round of the NFL draft Saturday. They filled voids at offensive tackle, wide receiver and linebacker in the first three rounds. Eboigbe had 63 tackles and seven sacks in 14 games, all starts, and was named to the first-team All-Southeastern Conference squad as a fifth-year senior last season. He redshirted in 2022 after a neck injury limited him to only four games. He didn’t miss a start in the 2023 season, however. The Chargers had six picks on the final ..read more

COSTA MESA — The Chargers got their wide receiver, after all. They traded up to select wide receiver Ladd McConkey of the University of Georgia with the 34th selection in the NFL draft on Friday, swapping two picks with the New England Patriots. The Chargers got the 34th and 137th selections and sent the Patriots the 37th and 110th picks. McConkey will be a key addition to a thin wide receiver corps that lost veterans Keenan Allen and Mike Williams as salary cap casualties last month. Allen, who set a franchise record for receptions in the 2023 season, was traded to the Chicago Bears. Williams ..read more

COSTA MESA — Joe Alt dwarfed the press room podium during his introductory news conference on Friday at the Chargers’ headquarters. He was nearly as tall as the powder blue backdrop with the team’s logo and its car sponsor splashed across it. His new lightning bolt cap barely fit atop his head. Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing 321 pounds, Alt was a commanding presence as he met with the Chargers’ coaching staff, toured the facility, spoke with reporters and posed for photos with Coach Jim Harbaugh and General Manager Joe Hortiz less than 24 hours after he was selected fifth in the NFL draft. Alt ..read more

COSTA MESA — In the end, the Chargers didn’t trade the fifth pick in the NFL draft on Thursday. They didn’t pick a wide receiver such as Malik Nabers of LSU to replace Keenan Allen or Mike Williams. They didn’t select Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State, who went fourth to the Arizona Cardinals. The Chargers did take Joe Alt, a mammoth offensive lineman from Notre Dame, in keeping with the method of operation of new General Manager Joe Hortiz and new Coach Jim Harbaugh. They both like big, athletic linemen to protect their quarterbacks and further their physical rushing game. “He’s a great piece ..read more

What has changed since the first Southern California News Group seven-round mock draft for the Chargers was printed in the paper and posted on the websites? Well, for starters, the chatter about a trade back for the fifth pick has only increased as the days have passed and the draft has drawn closer to reality. As in the first mock draft three weeks ago, we’ll stick with actually making the Chargers’ nine picks over seven rounds and forgo any attempts at predicting various trade scenarios with other teams that might alter the draft order considerably starting with the fifth pick Thursday. This ..read more

Conventional wisdom, along with a fair number of pundits from coast to coast, suggests the Chargers will trade the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday, acquire additional draft capital and then seek to fill a number of pressing roster needs with an additional selection or two or three. But will they? Should they? Can they even pull it off? Joe Hortiz, the Chargers’ new general manager, made it clear last week that he would not simply make a trade just to make a trade. He would not trade value for value. He would not accept anything less than a win for himself and the Chargers. A tr ..read more

Tuli Tuipulotu was a revelation last season for the Chargers, a second-round draft pick from USC who became a menacing on-field presence and added depth behind veteran outside linebackers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack and, later, as a capable fill-in after Bosa suffered a significant injury. Off the field, Tuipulotu was respectful, surprising his older and more accomplished teammates by calling them “sir” or “Mr.” when addressing them in training camp. He was an attentive listener during meetings, and a quick learner, too. He played in all 17 games and had 4½ sacks and 37 solo tackles. Is there an ..read more

In order to understand the Chargers’ needs in the NFL draft, it’s important to consider who they already have on their roster and what they’ve already addressed via free agency during the first months of the tenures of Jim Harbaugh as coach and Joe Hortiz as general manager. When it comes to the Chargers’ offense, it would seem clear that vacancies have been filled at the running back and tight end positions, with the free-agent signings of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards and Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst. Does that mean they won’t seek additions at those spots? Not necessarily. During an extended ..read more