Dalvin Tomlinson

This was supposed to be a Jadarian Price FLEX redemption game, but with him on the ropes, it instead looks like it will be George Holani and Emanuel Wilson as reasonable FLEX plays for Week 4.

The run-stuffing tackle missed Week 3 with the hamstring issue as well. James Cook gashed the Bolts for 154 yards and a score. Jadarian Price should see the majority of Seattle’s carries this week. Even after a slow start, he is still a viable FLEX play for Week 4.

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.