For now, Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz is getting a pass. 

Right now, the focus for the Chargers’ woes is on Jim Harbaugh possibly losing his locker room and the terrible optics of Justin Herbert’s offseason and play. 

But Hortiz will only get a pass for so long. 

It was Hortiz and the front office, after all, that pretty blatantly botched another offseason’s worth of offensive line work. 

While the Chargers still sit on about $30 million in free cap space and plenty of draft picks, the Chargers again have one of the worst interior lines in football and have managed to drop games to the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. 

Chargers’ poor free agency shows up on the field

The Chargers didn’t spend on a big name in free agency, which is fine. 

But things felt off from the start. Tyler Biadasz was a good signing. But they grabbed the center before the free-agent market even opened. At the time, we wondered if perhaps it was settling for a value buy so they didn't have to pay market price on a top guy. 

Granted, the Chargers can’t help that Biadasz got hurt. But it’s a moot point: The plan from there was adding middling free agents Kayode Awosika and Cole Strange at the guard spots and drafting Jake Slaughter in the second round, tasking him with moving from center to guard. 

Shaky stuff, all while installing a new offense. 

The rest of the free-agency class doesn’t look much better: 

• C Tyler Biadasz: Season-ending injury
• LG Kayode Awosika: Out
• TE Charlie Kolar: Out
• TE David Njoku: IR
• DT Dalvin Tomlinson: Out
• FB Alec Ingold: Active
• RB Keaton Mitchell: Active
• RG Cole Strange: Active

We can get even more critical. The Chargers spent on Keaton Mitchell despite already rostering Kimani Vidal. They grabbed Charlie Kolar and David Njoku despite already rostering Oronde Gadsden. 

And worst of all, the Chargers didn’t pay to keep Odafe Oweh, a pass-rusher they panicked and traded for last year. Rather than pay the guy they traded to acquire to keep him in town, they burned a first-round pick on Akheem Mesidor, grabbing him because he was “older” and therefore perhaps more “pro ready” so they could cheaply replace the production lost after Odafe left. 

Again, the Chargers can’t help injuries. But there was always an air of cheapness and questionable approaches to free agency by Hortiz. Signing two mid-level guards, drafting a center to play guard and overall drafting four linemen out of eight picks doesn't magically fix the guard spot. 

Hortiz seems to be approaching Chargers roster building like he’s still with the Baltimore Ravens. He’s not, and it won’t be, because this is the Chargers. Saving money and assets and rolling over money to the next year for extensions is cute, but the contenders are using every bit of cap management magic possible to go all-in now and finding wiggle room later. 

The Chargers aren’t doing that and it shows on the field.

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