The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a Primetime victory over division rival, Las Vegas Raiders. This victory did not end up as the most explosive offensive battle we have ever seen, but really a tale of the Chargers defense stepping up in great fashion. A Chargers defense that already came into the game shorthanded/banged up created multiple turnovers and limited this Raiders offense to a measly 218 total yards of offense. What makes this even more impressive is that the Chargers lost their Hall-of-Fame caliber EDGE rusher, Khalil Mack, quite early in the matchup.
A severe injury that is rumored to be brutal enough for Mack to miss the majority or all of the 2025 season. A brutal loss for this promising Chargers team. So, who are some trade candidates that the Chargers can look into inquiring about after this unfortunate injury?
Trade Candidates To Replace Khalil Mack After Injury
Arden Key – A Steady Veteran Presence for A Low Cost
Arden Key was once an exciting Raiders third-round selection in 2018. Many years later, he could very well find himself back in the division. Key started off his career somewhat disappointing, eventually turning his career around in 2021 with the San Francisco 49ers.
Since then, he spent one year with the Jacksonville Jaguars and is now going into year three with the Tennessee Titans. Key finds himself fighting for snaps on a rebuilding Titans team. Rookie Oluwafemi Oladejo and veteran Dre’Mont Jones are the starters, with Key fighting for snaps with run defense aficionado, Jihad Ward.
With this depth across the EDGE group, Key could very well be available for trade, as he still holds value as a 29-year-old EDGE rusher who’s on a cheap, expiring deal. Couple this with his consistent production of just under six sacks a season for the last four years, and he could be an easy target for the Chargers to replace their defensive leader, Khalil Mack after his brutal injury.
Last to note, the Chargers have been in love with the Titans’ defenders since the arrival of Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter. Minter has specifically picked up Elijah Molden, Teair Tart, Kristian Fulton and Bud Dupree to come to Los Angeles and be a part of this Chargers defense.
Trade Prediction: Chargers Send: 2026 6th Round Selection (Conditional 5th, if Key plays 70%+ of Chargers snaps) Tennessee Titans Send: Arden Key
2 For 1 – Philadelphia Eagles Possess Promising Veterans Who Are Not Playing
The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense is so loaded with talent that they are unable to play two of their veteran signees throughout the first two games of the 2025 NFL season. This abundance of talent, coupled with the signing of Za’Darius Smith, gives the Super Bowl Champs more than enough reason to add to their draft pick collection and trade their two bench-warming veteran additions.
The aforementioned veterans are Azeez Ojulari and Ogbo Okoronkwo.
The case for Ojulari to become the Chargers trade candidate to replace Khalil Mack after his injury is simply the youth and flashes of potential. As a former second selection, he has racked up 22 sacks in four seasons, all before he turned 25. Doing this in only 46 of a possible 68 games is quite impressive, but that leads directly into the “risk” of trading for Ojulari. He is consistently banged up. If the Chargers want to swing for a guy who can bring pass-rush juice whilst possibly becoming a long-term piece, Ojulari is your guy.
Moving on to Okoronkwo, he is older than Ojulari, at 30 years old. This would likely he would be nothing more than a one-year stop-gap rental for the Chargers. Okoronkwo has 17 sacks in his six-year NFL career, showing ability as a pass rusher with run defense ability.
Okoronkwo may be a lesser option at this point in his career than Ojulari, but he brings consistency and health. All of this said, bringing in at least one of these Eagles rushers as a capable body into the Chargers EDGE room is a must.
Trade Prediction (1): Chargers Send: 2026 5th Round Selection Philadelphia Eagles Send: Azeez Ojulari
Trade Prediction (2): Chargers Send: 2026 6th Round Selection Philadelphia Eagles Send: Ogbo Okoronkwo + 2026 7th Round Selection
The Big Fish – Trey Hendrickson… More Than A 1-Year Rental?
Trey Hendrickson might just be the best pass rusher in the entire NFL, and could very well be on the move sooner rather than later. The Bengals recently lost Joe Burrow due to injury and could look to rebuild. Step one could be to finally move on from Hendrickson after the months of turmoil he and the front office had with one another.
Hendrickson is in the last year of his deal, and the Chargers could very well swoop in and trade for him and extend him to a lucrative deal. This would make the Chargers EDGE room extremely old with Mack, Dupree and Hendrickson all being 30+. But if they can all contribute (Khalil Mack injury aside), does it really matter?
A move to get a guy as prominent as the Bengals superstar will not be cheap, but it could make this Chargers defense even scarier than it already is. Hendrickson has two sacks in two games thus far and has recorded two back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons before then. The contract given to Hendrickson would be an entire other article, but if there is a team with 2026 cap space to do so, it is the Los Angeles Chargers. So, with the need and resources to do so, could the Chargers make their first major trade since Khalil Mack?
Trade Prediction: Chargers Send: 2026 3nd Round Selection & 2027 3rd Round Selection Cincinnati Bengals Send: Trey Hendrickson + 2026 7 Round Selection
David Ojabo – A Chargers Trade Candidate By Familiarity
To finalize this list of Chargers trade candidates, David Ojabo makes the most sense. Ojabo has dealt with a plethora of injuries during his NFL tenure, showing flashes when he is on the field. The Baltimore Ravens invested a second-round selection in 2022 to get the uber-athletic Ojabo, but after an unlucky start to his career, it is likely he will be moved on from sooner rather than later.
Ojabo played at Michigan with Jim Harbaugh, then was drafted by the Ravens by the current Chargers General Manager, Joe Hortiz. With both of these connections to Ojabo, it is really a no-brainer to call and see the cost for a young, 25-year-old former second-round selection. If anyone knows how to get the most out of players, it is Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter.
Say Ojabo hits, then you can sign him to a contract extension as a future EDGE contributor. If he does not, then he will leave in free agency and, while unlikely, net a compensatory selection.
Trade Prediction: Chargers Send: 2026 6th Round Selection (Conditional 5th, if Ojabo plays 50%+ of Chargers snaps) Baltimore Ravens Send: David Ojabo
Main Image: Kyle Terada – Imagn Images
The post Trade Candidates To Replace Chargers Star After Brutal Injury appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.