Former Cardinals DT Lands With Chargers

The Arizona Cardinals cut defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to save on salary cap space, and it didn't take him long to find a new home.

According to various reports, Tomlinson is signing with the Los Angeles Chargers on a one-year deal worth up to $7.5 million with $6 million guaranteed.

The Cardinals, just last offseason, signed Tomlinson to a two-year, $29 million contract. His release gave Arizona $9.4 million in extra cap space this offseason.

Tomlinson now joins a Chargers defensive line room that's completely being rebuilt. Arizona is attempting to do the same on their own terms.

Tomlinson, a massive presence in the defensive interior, started all 17 games for the Cardinals last season and accumulated 26 tackles, one sack and one pass defensed.

Though Arizona brought back defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, there was sure to be some personnel change after the Cardinals' defense massively underperformed in 2025. While Tomlinson was never going to stuff the box score, the talent around him (whether due to health or just poor performance) didn't exactly help.

“Off the tape, he's popping off. That's what I would say to that. He's impacting the game in a positive way. He's everything that I wanted him to be and that we wanted him to be when he signed here," former head coach Jonathan Gannon said of Tomlinson.

"He's a really good defender. They need to put two (players) on him to block him. When they single him and run it in between the tackles, he typically makes it (a play) and he affects the quarterback in his role that he needs to affect the quarterback. I think he's playing extremely well right now.”

The Cardinals, since releasing Tomlinson, have brought back L.J. Collier while re-signing familiar face Roy Lopez. There's hope Walter Nolen and Darius Robinson will be able to stay healthy for a full season while Dante Stills has been a strong piece in the trenches as well.

Arizona could also look to supplement the position in the upcoming draft, where they have a full slate of picks including the third overall selection.

Tomlinson's time in the desert was cut short, and while he wasn't the worst player on their defensive line, the cap savings on his release just made too much sense when compared to his age and production moving into 2026.

However, he looks to be heading to a Chargers squad that will seek his veteran experience early and often.