The Los Angeles Chargers just went a long way to trying to solve their myriad offensive line woes. This morning, it was announced that they had signed center Tyler Biadasz to a three year, 30 million dollar contract. With this move, the Chargers have sent out a statement of intent to the entire league.
Biadasz was cut by the #Commanders after being set to make $8.3M. Now he lands in LA with a raise in a deal done by @AthletesFirst.
The reason why the Chargers were able to move so swiftly for Biadasz was because the Commanders released him. That allowed Biadasz to sign with whoever he liked before the free agency period opens. For the Chargers, this is even better news because not only did they win the bidding for Biadasz, but they set the market for O-lineman this offseason.
A Massive Upgrade at Center
Biadasz is an exceptional replacement considering how abysmal now retired center Bradley Bozeman was. Last year, Bozeman graded out as the worst overall center in the NFL according to PFF. Biadasz by comparison graded out eleventh out of 40 centers in PFF’s metrics. That doesn’t even mention a career 98.0 pass efficiency grade.
His contract as well should be a welcome sight too. Because the Chargers didn’t go after either of Tyler Linderbaum or Connor McGovern, they have more flexiblility and most importantly, they don’t lose any compensatory picks in the upcoming draft.
With the way the contract is structured, the cap hit each year for Biadasz would count more than his annual value, but chances are that with the Chargers’ ample cap space, they won’t be heavily impacted by it.
More Work Still Ahead for the Chargers
Still, questions remain about other positions and not just on the offensive line. Key free agents on the defensive side of the ball, like Odafe Oweh and Khalil Mack, are set to hit free agency. If you look at the offensive line, Biadasz is just one problem solved out of many. The Chargers still don’t know what the future holds for Zion Johnson and they still need more depth at the guard positions.
In fact, for next season, Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, and Tyler Biadasz would be the only offensive lineman under standard contracts for the year. All the others are on futures deals and are more seen as backups than anything else. This most likely is not the last piece of business the Chargers will be doing to help their O-line. With the NFL Draft coming up next month and free agency opening next week, look for the Chargers to continue being aggressive.
To start though, Biadasz is as good as you can get while still maintaining a budget. The goal of this offseason for the Chargers is to protect Justin Herbert and GM Joe Hortiz has set the marker to be able to achieve it. Plus, with all the cash they have, you wouldn’t put it beyond them to keep going. The sky’s the limit for the Chargers this offseason, and Biadasz could just be the beginning of what could end up being a potentially Super Bowl winning offseason for the boys in LA.
Chargers Sign Tyler Biadasz from Commanders After Visit