After the Los Angeles Chargers‘ new regime got the team’s roster under the salary cap, there were plenty of questions. Then came free agency, which answered some. Then the draft, which answered a few more. But one lingering question was the interior of the defensive line.
Collectively, the Chargers have to replace over 2000 snaps lost to departed DL free agents. The biggest moves they made to address this were adding the 29-year-old veteran, Poona Ford, and using a fourth-round draft pick to bring in Justin Eboigbe.
Chargers New Addition Was Released By Titans For Effort Issues
On Thursday afternoon it was announced that the Chargers added another free agent to address the need at the defensive line, Teair Tart.
The 6-2, 304-pound defensive tackle spent the majority of his first four seasons playing for the Tennessee Titans. The high point in his time with the Titans came in his third season. In that year he logged 520 snaps played racking up 26 pressures and 23 STOPs. He also deflected six passes. But the following season, after 11 games, the Titans released him, sighting ‘issues with his attitude and playing effort’.
Tart denies the accusations and stated they were drummed up by the franchise after he asked to be released. “I never had work-ethic questions or work-ethic issues until I asked for a release,” said Tart.
In 2020, he was suspended one game for violations of unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules after stepping on Cleveland Browns player Wyatt Teller in Week 13.
Since being cut in December, Tart was picked up off of waivers by the Houston Texans, then signed by the Miami Dolphins in April of this year. He was released by the Miami Dolphins on August 13th, just two days before being signed by the Chargers.
Official contract numbers have yet to be disclosed, but Miami had signed him to a one-year $1.3 million contract, resulting in a $560 thousand cap hit.
Since joining the league as an undrafted free agent out of Florida International, Tart has accumulated 79 tackles, 16 for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
