Former Chargers undrafted free agent finds new home before NFL free agency

Another former Los Angeles Chargers player is on the move ahead of free agency. 

This time, the news centers on defensive lineman Jerrod Clark, who will join the Carolina Panthers on a reserve/future deal, according to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson. 

Clark, undrafted in 2023, signed with the Chargers out of Coastal Carolina and stuck around for one year as a higher-upside player before being waived the following August. 

From there, Clark took a detour to the UFL before making the jump back to the NFL now with the Panthers. 

The news comes at a time the Chargers have started to flesh out a reserve/futures list of their own. Those defensive trenches are a key focal point for the team this offseason, too, with breakouts Poona Ford and Teair Tart both slated for free agency. 

A developmental player like Clark would’ve made sense for the offseason roster. But one of, if not both Ford and Tart could be back in 2025, in addition to likely draft picks to help strengthen the unit.