Johnson has signed a one-year contract with the Bills, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
As he enters his seventh season, Buffalo will be Johnson's fourth team. He recorded 46 tackles (24 solo), two passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across 17 games for the Chargers last year. The journeyman will now compete for depth reps on the interior defensive line behind DaQuan Jones and Ed Oliver in the upcoming season.
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Patriots' Jaylinn Hawkins: Bolsters New England's safety corps
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Hawkins has agreed to a one-year deal with the Patriots, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Hawkins split the 2023 regular season with the Falcons (six games) and Chargers (10 games), en route to combining for 14 tackles in that span. The 2020 fourth-rounder did rack up 84 tackles and two picks for Atlanta in 2022, but with the Patriots Hawkins figures to serve as a depth safety behind Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger.
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Commanders' Michael Davis: Inking in Washington
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The Commanders and Davis agreed to terms on a contract Monday, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.
Davis provides Washington with an experienced cornerback to help replace the void left by Kendall Fuller, who recently inked a deal with the Dolphins. The 29-year-old is coming off a mixed 2023 campaign in which he was benched at multiple points and allowed a career-high 13.8 yards per completion and 9.0 yards per target, as Rhim notes. He could compete for starting snaps with Benjamin St-Juste, while 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes will likely get another crack at a No. 1 role.
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Chargers' Joey Bosa: Restructures contract with LA
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Bosa (foot) restructured his contract Thursday and will remain with the Chargers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Scheduled for $22 million in non-guaranteed compensation in 2024 and $25.36 million next year, Bosa was oft-mentioned as a potential cap casualty or trade target. He and fellow edge rusher Khalil Mack both ended up restructuring their contacts before roster bonuses were due later this week, giving them a third season to work together chasing quarterbacks. Mack has played in every game since joining the team, while Bosa has missed 20 of a possible 34 contests, including the final seven games of the 2023 season due to a foot sprain. The 28-year-old returned to practice on a limited basis in late December, so it's entirely possible he's already back to full health/strength before the start of offseason. A healthier year from Bosa would go a long way, though the Chargers still appear frightfully thin in the front seven apart from their duo of star edge rushers.
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Bears' Amen Ogbongbemiga: Headed to Windy City
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Ogbongbemiga signed a contract with the Bears on Thursday, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.
Ogbongbemiga spent the first three seasons of his career with the Chargers after going undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2021. The 25-year-old has primarily seen action on special teams, where he had four tackles and two fumble recoveries in 2023.
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Cowboys' Eric Kendricks: Ends up in Dallas
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Kendricks and the Cowboys agreed on a contract Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
After initially agreeing to a deal with the 49ers, Kendricks had a change of heart and he'll ultimately reunite with his former head coach Mike Zimmer, who is now the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. Kendricks spent the 2023 campaign with the Chargers, recording 117 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, while also adding six pass deflections and a fumble recovery over 15 contests. He'll likely operate as the starting middle linebacker in Dallas and should have a good chance of maintaining his impressive level of production.
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Chargers' Khalil Mack: Staying put on restructured deal
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Mack has agreed to a restructured contract that will keep him with the Chargers in 2024, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Los Angeles was considering moving Mack after a 17.0-sack 2023 season to free up cap space, but a restructure proved sufficient to create enough wiggle room after the Chargers saved $20 million against the cap Wednesday by releasing Mike Williams (knee). Mack's prolific production in 2023 suggests that the 2016 NFL DPOY still has plenty left in the tank heading into his age-33 campaign.
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AJ Uzodinma: Time up with Chargers
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Uzodinma (undisclosed) was waived by the Chargers on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Uzodinma spent the 2023 season on injured reserve, but he's healthy now based on his lack of injury designation upon being waived. The cornerback from Ball State will look to earn a contract or training camp invite from another NFL team.
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49ers' Eric Kendricks: Joins San Fran on one-year pact
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Kendricks is set to sign a one-year contract with the 49ers, ESPN.com reports.
Kendricks has racked up over 100 tackles in each of the past eight seasons. The 32-year-old linebacker, who played for the Chargers in 2023, is expected to help replace Dre Greenlaw (Achilles), who is slated to miss most or all of the 2024 campaign after getting injured in the Super Bowl.
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Chargers' Alohi Gilman: Strikes new deal with LAC
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Gilman and the Chargers agreed on a two-year, $11 million contract Monday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Gilman stepped into a starting role in the Chargers' secondary in 2023, recording a career-high 73 tackles, 10 pass defenses two interceptions while also forcing three fumbles and recovering two fumbles over 14 games. He has now been rewarded with a new deal, and Gilman will operate opposite Derwin James again in 2024.
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Eric Kendricks: Gets cut loose
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Kendricks was released by the Chargers on Tuesday.
Kendricks joined the Chargers on a two-year deal in 2023, after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Vikings. The veteran linebacker appeared in 15 games last season, recording 117 tackles (79 solo), 3.5 sacks and six passes defended, and he may not have much trouble finding a new home in free agency.
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Chargers' Michael Davis: Uneven performance again in 2023
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Davis compiled 62 tackles (52 solo), 10 passes defensed and one interception in 17 games with the Chargers during the 2023 season.
For a second consecutive season, Davis found himself benched at various points of the campaign, but he played well enough down the stretch to maintain his starting role by Week 18. The Chargers have little proven depth at corner beyond Asante Samuel, so the team could make retaining Davis -- a pending unrestricted free agent -- a priority this offseason. The 29-year-old has started games in each of the past four seasons, but he's often been the preferred corner for opposing teams to target and has produced just six interceptions during that span.
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Chargers' Tuli Tuipulotu: Solid building block next season
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Tuipulotu compiled 53 tackles (37 solo), 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defensed in 17 games with the Chargers during the 2023 season.
While the numbers might not reflect it, the 2023 second-round pick was easily one of the team's shining lights amid a difficult 5-12 season. Tuipulotu initially started the season as a rotational piece on the edge and quietly tallied four sacks in his first nine games, despite playing no more than 76 percent of the team's defensive snaps in all but two of those contests. The rookie settled into a full-time role after Joey Bosa (foot) was lost for the season beginning in Week 12, but Tuipulotu tallied just a one half-sack the rest of the way. However, he remained a reliable disruptor in the backfield despite the modest sack production and projects as a significant defensive piece for new head coach Jim Harbaugh entering the 2024 season.
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Chargers' Alohi Gilman: Emerges as clear starter in 2023
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Gilman registered 73 tackles (49 solo), 10 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two interceptions in 14 games with the Chargers during the 2023 season.
The starting safety spot alongside standout Derwin James has proven to be quite lucrative in past years, with Adrian Phillips and Rayshawn Jenkins getting favorable contracts from other teams after stints in the Los Angeles secondary. It's possible Gilman, who finally earned a starting spot in his fourth season in the NFL, could be the next in that unheralded lineage after the 26-year-old broke out with a 73-tackle season in 2024. Gilman held off 2022 third-round pick JT Woods for a starting role coming out of the preseason and never relinquished his spot on the depth chart, despite missing a few games due to injury early in the season. Gilman will join a host of Chargers starters entering the offseason as unrestricted free agents, and it's unclear how the new regime will prioritize retaining those players in the midst of a difficult salary-cap situation.
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Chargers' Khalil Mack: Vintage season in Los Angeles
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Mack compiled 74 tackles (57 solo), 17 sacks, 10 passes defensed and five forced fumbles over 17 games with the Chargers in 2023.
Despite losing pass-rushing partner Joey Bosa (foot) for nearly half of the season, Mack put together arguably the best campaign of his entire career, and one that probably should have elicited some All-Pro consideration. The veteran's 17 sacks surpassed his previous career high set back in 2015, and that massive figure came off the heels of a four-year stretch where Mack combined to take down the quarterback just 31.5 times. The eye-popping sack total is a bit of a mirage considering the 32-year-old had five games with multiple sacks -- including six against the Raiders in Week 4 -- and nine without one, but it's clear he's still one of the top pass rushers in the league, despite his advanced age. In 2024, Mack will be entering the final season of his six-year extension at an untenable $38 million cap hit, and with the Chargers facing a difficult cap situation, it's possible the team could move on from him this offseason in a cost-cutting measure.
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Chargers' Kenneth Murray: Enters free agency on high note
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Murray (shoulder) registered 107 tackles (79 solo), four passes defensed, three sacks and one interception across 15 games for the Chargers during the 2023 season.
Murray didn't play in the final two games of the season due to a shoulder injury, but the 25-year-old linebacker nonetheless turned in his most productive professional campaign to date. The 2020 first-round pick appeared to be an afterthought heading into the 2023 season after the Chargers signed Eric Kendricks to a lucrative offseason deal, but Murray wound up playing the most snaps of anyone on the team and had a four-game stretch in which he tallied at least eight tackles. Despite finishing out his rookie contract on a high note, Murray is still unlikely to receive a significant extension from the Chargers, who will most likely let him walk this spring, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
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Chargers' Eric Kendricks: Another 100-plus tackle season
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Kendricks registered 117 tackles (79 solo), six passes defensed, 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble across 15 appearances for the Chargers in 2023.
After a productive eight-year tenure in Minnesota, Kendricks wasn't quite as effective as some were anticipating in his debut season with the Chargers. While Kendricks did reach the 100-tackle plateau for an eighth consecutive season, he mustered only four games with double-digit stops. Kendricks carries a high cap hit for 2024 relative to his 2023 production, so it's possible that the cap-strapped Chargers could jettison Kendricks in favor of younger -- and cheaper -- options at linebacker.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Plethora of tackles in sixth season
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James finished the 2023 campaign with 125 tackles (86 solo), seven passes defensed, two sacks and one interception across 16 games for the Chargers.
James compiled the third-most total tackles among all NFL safeties and made his most appearances since his 2018 rookie campaign, but the veteran defender wasn't quite the same playmaker as he had been in past seasons. The 27-year-old offers a level of versatility that's unmatched by most defensive backs in the league, but the Chargers could need even more production from him in 2024 with the team expected to lose a few key veterans due to cap constraints this offseason.
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Chargers' Tuli Tuipulotu: Will suit up for season finale
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Tuipulotu (ankle) is active for Sunday's Week 18 battle against Kansas City.
Tuipulotu logged a pair of limited practice sessions to end Week 18 prep due to an ankle issue and entered the weekend deemed questionable to play, but he'll be able to participate in Los Angeles' final game of the campaign. The USC product has moved into a starting role in his first NFL season, and he ranks fourth on the Chargers with 4.5 sacks going into Sunday.
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Chargers' Kenneth Murray: Not playing Sunday
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Murray (shoulder) is inactive Sunday against the Chiefs.
Murray was deemed doubtful for the matchup, so his inability to suit up doesn't come as a surprise. Nick Niemann will likely draw the start in the Oklahoma product's absence.
