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Chargers Cut Candidate Discussion Gets Chippy at NFL Combine

Originally posted on Los Angeles Chargers on SI
By Chris Roling | Last updated Feb 24, 2026 5:15 PM ET

The Los Angeles Chargers have a tough decision to make this offseason with obvious cut candidate Mekhi Becton.

As expected, though, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz didn’t want to broach the topic at all during his press conference at the NFL combine this week.

Asked about it multiple times, Hotiz eventually shut down the entire line of questioning with a “I’m not going to talk about that right now.”

This was the big quote to know, courtesy of ESPN’s Kris Rhim:

“Those are things that we will discuss. We get back Sunday. All the coaches and staff will meet Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and we’ll finalize all those plans then.”

So, that settles that right?

If only.

Q To GM Joe Hortiz: “Do you expect Mekhi [Becton] to be on the roster next year?”

Hortiz: “Those are things that we will discuss. We get back Sunday. All the coaches and staff will meet Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and we’ll finalize all those plans then.”

Q: “So is it… pic.twitter.com/zcRUtYatlQ
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) February 24, 2026

Why Chargers could cut Mekhi Becton

Reasons abound.

Before anything else, Becton quickly morphed into a bust of a free agent signing last year. After one season as a guard in Philadelphia, the former first-round pick signed a two-year deal worth $20 million with the Chargers.

Becton proceeded to be in and out of the lineup all year on the way to ranking 79th out of 81 guards at PFF. Near the end of the season and after it, he was critical of how the team managed his snaps and his fit in the offense.

As if all that weren’t enough, the Chargers figure to blow up the entire interior of the line. Zion Johnson, the other starting guard, is a free agent. Center Bradley Bozeman just retired.

Cutting Becton would save the Chargers roughly $9.7 million in cap space to tack onto an already massive $82 million. Hortiz and the front office built his contract with an out into it after 2025 for these very reasons. Becton's position change with a stable franchise during a contract year, it seems, was fool's gold.

It’s hard to imagine the Chargers keeping that cap charge when it could go to other free agents they need to bring back like Odafe Oweh, or go to outside free agents like say, elite center Tyler Linderbaum.

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This article first appeared on Los Angeles Chargers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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