One Shocking Trade the Chargers Could Pull Off Post 2026 NFL Draft
The Los Angeles Chargers are now facing life after the 2026 NFL Draft cycle, leading fans to look into intriguing players to add to their roster and continue to make this Super Bowl hopeful team into a real Super Bowl contender.
The Chargers could look for free agents and add the "leftovers" of the NFL, especially now, considering the compensatory pick formula is null as of April 27. But even more excitingly, the Bolts could look to explore a trade, considering the amount of cap space they have, placing them fourth in the entire league in effective spendable cap space.
One major trade candidate comes from the Washington Commanders, a team that is currently in the midst of rebuilding their aging defensive unit into one that is filled with more youth and upside. A perfect example of this was their signing of Odafe Oweh, the Chargers' breakout star from 2025.
One defensive lineman from the unit that could find himself a new home in 2026 is longtime Commanders veteran and former 2018 first-round pick, Daron Payne.
Daron Payne to the Chargers Could Add to Super Bowl Aspirations
The Chargers' current interior defensive line depth chart is considered by most as "just fine," which is enough for any team to pass through an entire NFL season with no major complaints. However, if you are a team with real Super Bowl aspirations like the Chargers, you need more than "just fine" across your roster.
The Bolts depth chart currently has: Teair Tart, Dalvin Tomlinson, Jamaree Caldwell, Justin Eboigbe, Nick Barrett and Scott Matlock. Tart is a difference maker, with the rest being players in a stage of their career that is either unproven as real difference makers or past that point in their NFL career (Tomlinson).
All of this to say, adding a guy like Daron Payne to this Chargers roster could make a lot of sense to have an interior defensive line that could push this defense under first-year coordinator Chris O'Leary to the very top of the league.
Payne, in his age-28 season in 2025, had 26 pressures and four sacks coupled with 28 stops. While not the eye-popping numbers Payne had in 2022 (12 sacks, 49 pressures and 44 stops), he could very well find himself back to that form in a new city.
The Commanders' defensive line is set to make $27,950,000 in 2026. If the Chargers were to trade for the veteran, they would take on $17,350,000 of that number. More than enough for the Chargers to work with and see where he could go in 2026.
Estimated Trade Value: 2027 Fifth-Round Pick & Bud Dupree for Daron Payne
Many feel that Payne is worth a fourth-round pick, thus giving the Commanders Dupree to fill their need for a run-defending EDGE on their roster, and a fifth-round pick in return for Payne, the aging, expensive interior defender.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as One Shocking Trade the Chargers Could Pull Off Post 2026 NFL Draft.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 9:30 AM.