It appears the Los Angeles Chargers' rebuild is beginning in-season, as they waived defensive captain and 28-year-old starting defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day on Friday. The timing of the move is curious since Joseph-Day had started all 14 games for the Chargers this season.
However, the motivation is less so. Joseph-Day was set to have a $10 million cap hit in the final year of his three-year, $24 million contract in 2024 with no more guaranteed money left on the deal. Los Angeles is projected to be $42.2 million over the cap in 2024, the third-lowest projected cap space in the NFL next offseason, according to Over the Cap. Joseph-Day is likely the first of many veterans who could be shown the door under a new regime in the near future after both head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired last week.
Joseph-Day's 11 quarterback hits were the second-most on the Chargers defense, trailing only Khalil Mack's 16. Joseph-Day, a five-year veteran and Super Bowl LVI champion with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, could bolster any contending team's interior defensive line group. He was selected 195th overall (sixth round) in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Rutgers. The Dallas Cowboys come to mind as a team who could come calling with starting defensive Johnathan Hankins likely to miss his second game in a row with knee and ankle injuries.
Here are a few potential landing spots for the veteran defensive lineman given team need and fit.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas entered Week 15 at the Buffalo Bills with an 8.3% missed tackle rate, the lowest in the NFL. Following their 31-10 debacle of a defeat in Buffalo that included a whopping 17 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, that percentage jumped to 9.3%, pushing their rank to second place behind the New England Patriots' 8.9% rate for the entire season. Those missed tackles, most of which occurred on the edge of the line of scrimmage according to Quinn, played a massive role in the Bills' 49 carries gashing the Cowboys defense for a season-high 266 rushing yards, an average of 5.4 yards a rush and three touchdowns.
Shoring up the interior of their defensive line could only help the Cowboys' efforts when stopping the run. Being able to do be proficient in that area is critical for a defense that would love nothing more than to cut All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons loose to tee off on opposing quarterbacks.
Cleveland Browns
Despite rotating through four different quarterbacks in 2023, the Browns are 9-5 and in position to make the postseason. The reason why is they have one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory. The Browns lead the NFL in total defense, allowing 261.1 total yards per game, which ranks as the second-fewest yards per game allowed in the last 15 seasons. They trail only the 2009 New York Jets, who were led by Pro Football Hall of Famer cornerback Darrelle Revis and head coach Rex Ryan.
Given over 25% of their salary cap is on injured reserve including quarterback Deshaun Watson, running back Nick Chubb and both starting offensive tackles -- left tackle Jedrick Wills and right tackle Jack Conklin -- Cleveland might as well beef up its defense as much as it can.
All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett is in a slump, with no sacks in the last four games. Perhaps some reinforcements along the defensive line could help spring him loose once again.
San Francisco 49ers
While Joseph-Day played his college football on the East Coast at Rutgers, he's turned into a Californian since entering the NFL. In fact, he hasn't left Los Angeles his entire career. Joseph-Day played his first three seasons with the Rams from 2019-2021 and then the last two with the Chargers.
There may be no team better positioned to win the Super Bowl this season than the 11-3 San Francisco 49ers. Joseph-Day is a Super Bowl champion himself, and with starting defensive tackle Javon Hargrave missing the team's Week 15 game against the Arizona Cardinals with a hamstring strain, he could be a nice depth addition at a critical time in the season for the 49ers front.
