Dalvin

Tomlinson

This is not an ideal injury report for the Chargers. Molden is the team’s starting free safety, but he’s currently out with a hamstring injury, while Dalvin Tomlinson, their starting defensive tackle, is also out with a hamstring injury. That’s good news for Josh Allen, James Cook, and the Bills offense. On the offensive side of the ball, Charlie Kolar, their starting tight end, has a forearm injury, and starting left guard Kayode Awosika has a fibula injury. Pair that with starting linemen Trey Pipkins III and Tyler Biadasz already being on the injured list, and their Chargers offensive line is going to be short-handed against a Bills defense that welcomed back Ed Oliver on Sunday. That could ding Omarion Hampton’s production a bit.

Left guard Kayode Awosika (fibula), who has started each of the team’s first two games this season, will also miss some time, per Harbaugh. The Chargers already placed TEs Charlie Kolar (forearm) and David Njoku (fibula) on injured reserve, so it’s safe to assume Tomlinson and Awosika are looking at shorter absences given the team’s decision to leave them on the active roster at this time. Tomlinson has totaled eight tackles and a half sack in the two games he has appeared in, on 65 defensive snaps. Awosika was replaced by former first-round pick Trevor Penning, who will likely step in as the starting left guard until Awosika returns.

Tomlinson was released by the Cardinals after one season. The veteran lineman totaled 26 tackles and one sack while finishing with a PFF grade of 43.2 — the lowest of his nine-year career. He will receiver $6 million in guaranteed money on this deal, which suggests he should see a decent role in Jim Harbaugh’s defense.

A two-year, $29 million contract was lavished on Tomlinson last offseason as Jonathan Gannon tried to fix the defense. Instead, Tomlinson posted a career-worst 43.2 PFF defensive grade. His release frees up roughly $9.4 million in cap space.

Tomlinson has plenty left in the tank entering his age-31 season. The former Brown totaled 36 quarterback pressures and four sacks last year, both of which tied career-highs. The Cardinals defensive tackle group totaled the 13th-most quarterback pressures (99) and were tied for the eighth-most NFL sacks (14.0) last year. Tomlinson’s addition should push those numbers even higher this year.

The transaction will be finalized when the new league year starts on Wednesday, at which point Tomlinson will be free to sign with any team. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Tomlinson will be designated as a post-June 1 cut. His release will create $6.4 million in cap space while leaving the Browns with a $5 million dead cap charge. Tomlinson had two years left on his four-year, $57 million contract with the Browns. The big man notched three sacks and six TFLs in 2024 with a nearly identical stat line in 2023. While not an elite defender, Tomlinson is a solid interior lineman who should earn a multi-year deal on the open market.

A hamstring injury landed Newsome on the PUP list last month, but he’s now set to rejoin the defense that ranked 13th in points per game and first in yards allowed per game. Newsome totaled 49 tackles and two interceptions last season while earning a PFF coverage grade of 74.6. He also broke up 10 passes and allowed a 58.2 percent catch rate. In addition to Newsome, the Browns also activated DT Dalvin Tomlinson from the PUP list.

Stefanski hopes Tomlison will be ready by Week 1, putting the lineman’s availability up in the air until further notice. Tomlinson totaled 28 tackles and three sacks for the Browns in 16 games last season while also notching four TFLs. He’s not expected to return before the end of training camp, making this injury one to monitor as we get closer to the start of the season.

The deal includes $27.5 million guaranteed. Working to overhaul a defensive line overly reliant on Myles Garrett, the Browns have now added both Tomlinson and Ogbo Okoronkwo. Headed into his age-29 campaign, Tomlinson remains one of the league’s better run stoppers.

Tomlinson has been out since leaving Week 8 with the injury. His return should strengthen the middle of the Vikings run defense, which is not great news for Zonovan Knight and the rest of the Jets running game.