The Los Angeles Chargers entered the final hours before the NFL roster deadline with several difficult decisions to make. The team had to reduce its roster to 53 players while balancing established veterans, emerging young players and future draft assets.
One of the players in that group was defensive lineman TeRah Edwards. The second-year player had spent the 2025 season on the Chargers’ practice squad after entering the league as an undrafted free agent. He then made a strong impression during the 2026 preseason.
Edwards appeared in all three preseason games and recorded 10 tackles, 11 pressures and seven stops. With Los Angeles facing a crowded defensive line and several roster decisions, his situation became one to watch as the deadline approached.
TeRah Edwards Traded to Carolina Panthers
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Carolina Panthers were acquiring Edwards from the Chargers. “The Panthers are trading for Chargers DT TeRah Edwards, sources say. One last one before the buzzer,” Rapoport wrote.
Carolina sent Los Angeles a 2028 sixth-round pick in exchange for Edwards.
The deal was one of two trades made by the Chargers on Sunday, with the team also sending cornerback Avery Smith to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 sixth-round selection. Both trades were pending physicals.
Edwards spent his second offseason with the Chargers after joining the organization as an undrafted free agent. He did not play in a regular-season game in 2025, but his preseason performances helped attract interest elsewhere.
Before entering the NFL, Edwards played college football at Northwestern and Illinois.
His strong preseason came in a competitive defensive line group. Los Angeles retained Teair Tart, Dalvin Tomlinson, Jamaree Caldwell, Justin Eboigbe, and Nick Barrett on its initial 53-man roster.
The trade gives Edwards a new opportunity in Carolina while allowing the Chargers to receive future draft compensation for a player who faced a difficult path to the final roster.
The Panthers needed additional defensive line depth after making their own roster decisions. Edwards now gets a chance to continue his development with a new team heading into the regular season.
Edwards’ departure was part of a larger roster strategy.
Chargers Add Draft Capital With Avery Smith Trade
The Chargers also moved another young player before submitting their initial 53-man roster. Los Angeles traded undrafted rookie cornerback Avery Smith to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Smith had impressed during training camp after joining the Chargers as an undrafted free agent from Toledo. He had led the Rockets in passes defended in each of his final two college seasons and continued to make plays during camp.
The Chargers ultimately kept five cornerbacks on their initial roster: Tarheeb Still, Donte Jackson, Cam Hart, Deane Leonard and Rodney Shelley. That left Smith facing a difficult numbers game despite his preseason development.
The two trades allowed general manager Joe Hortiz to turn players competing for roster spots into additional draft selections.
Los Angeles now has seven selections in the 2027 draft, including its first five-round picks, the Seahawks’ sixth-rounder and the Rams‘ seventh-round pick.
The Chargers also hold nine total selections in the 2028 draft, including their own seven picks, the sixth-rounder acquired from Carolina and a seventh-rounder obtained from the New York Jets.
With the regular season opener against the Arizona Cardinals scheduled for September 13, Los Angeles has used the final roster deadline to reshape its depth while adding future flexibility.
Chargers Trade Defensive Tackle to Panthers Ahead of Roster Deadline