Chargers Hosting Recently Released Defensive Lineman

Ricardo Sandoval | Aug 14, 2024

Nov 26, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Teair Tart (93) leads teammates to the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Chargers will host former undrafted defensive lineman Teair Tart on Wednesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter was among the first to report on the news via Twitter/X.

Recently-released free-agent defensive lineman Teair Tart is visiting today with the Los Angeles Chargers.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2024

The Miami Dolphins released Tart on Tuesday after he signed with the team in early April. In his press conference on Wednesday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that Miami let go of him because the club determined he was not a scheme fit.

Tart's meeting with the Chargers today will determine whether he is a fit, as the Bolts could use all the help they can get on the defensive line.

The 27-year-old appeared in 11 games with the Tennessee Titans in 2023 before he was waived in Dec.

Since his release, it's been quite the journey for the former FIU Panther. Tart was claimed by the Houston Texans and played two games with the club. He finished the season with 24 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, a sack, and four quarterback hits.

The former undrafted nose tackle went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. He signed with the Titans in April 2020 and was waived months later; however, he signed with the team's practice squad the following day. Tart later signed to the Titans' active roster, but a month later, he was suspended one game for violations of uneasy toughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules after stepping on Wyatt Teller of the Cleveland Browns.

Tart spent three seasons with the Titans before they released him late last season.

The Philadelphia native has played five NFL seasons and recorded 79 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, seven passes defended, one fumble recovery, and one interception in 47 career games and 36 starts.

The 27-year-old stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 304 pounds. Tart played his college ball at ASA Colege in New York and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and ultimately wound up at Florida International University for two seasons. At FIU, he collected 51 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one pass defended, and two forced fumbles in 23 games.

The Los Angeles Chargers have three nose tackles on their roster, with projected starter Otito Ogbonnia, followed by Justin Eboigbe and Micheal Mason on the depth chart. Even if the Chargers sign Tart, his spot will not be guaranteed.

Nonetheless, if the Chargers sign him, he must earn his spot.

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