The Chargers’ have acquired defensive back Elijah Molden from the Tennessee Titans’ for a 2026 7th round draft pick, Joe Hortiz continues to build a team in a pragmatic and opportunistic manner by betting on Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff to get the most out of players who haven’t quite lived up to their potential.
Molden was one of the first true nickel draft prospects I can remember studying when he was coming out of that prolific Huskie’s secondary from 2020 that featured all of Trent McDuffie, Kyler Gordon and the newest Los Angeles Charger. In fact, I was able to dig out my notes for him from back when I was a Youtube scout:
If you could create a nickel corner in a lab it would be him, not too small, smart, instinctive, athletic and explosive. Tackles well for his size as well as having a reputation for being a film rat. He will go as high as any nickel in recent memory.
I was pretty high on Molden in that class ranking him as CB6 (well ahead of our own Asante Samuel Jr. from the same class who I had at CB9). Now it is safe to say he has not lived up to the hype he carried at the end of a very productive rookie season as he struggled to even make the field in 2022 despite having been consistently healthy and available.
He saw a huge uptick in both game time and performance quality in 2023 starting 15 games racking up 73 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 4 pass break ups, 2 run stuffs and a career highlight Pick-6 play as you can see below.
Apart from being a fan of any organization that tries to better itself through transactions such as this, I really like that the front office haven’t sat on their hands when it comes to addressing the nickel position. Ja’sir Taylor is a talented slot defender for a Fangio style system where he can use his quickness and toughness to stay with bigger players but he has shown throughout this preseason that he is just not cut out to be the physical presence Jesse Minter requires from his Apex players.
A part of me was expecting the rookie Tarheeb Still to take over these duties but I’m all for protecting rookies from being over-burdened with starting responsibilities when they’re still developing and Still has a lot of skills to grow before he can be an above average starter. The Molden trade can only be seen as positive in my eyes; the front office have addressed a position of need by finding an available yet talented player at a cheap price as he’ll be going into a contract season. This move has only further secured Hortiz’s reputation among Chargers’ fans as the most active GM we’ve had in my lifetime despite the first game of his tenure still yet to arrive!
We’ll be diving into his tape soon but for now let’s hear what the StormCloud community has to say about this acquisition!
What an interesting roster build this is to watch from Hortiz. The acknowledgement that quality depth is needed throughout each position group is a refreshing philosophy. Trading late round picks for guys with starting experience in the league instead of hoping our 7th round rookies can fill out the depth is fantastic to see. Moves like this and the Heinieke move are made possible by the ability to cultivate comp picks. You don’t mind giving up late rounders or late round swaps for some veteran talent when you are probably receiving higher round comp picks. I was on the bandwagon to get rid of TT for about 5 years, because I thought his team building and draft philosophies were trash. I am so damn happy to watch Hortiz and this front office make smart, calculated decisions on building out the roster. I can’t wait to see what he can accomplish in the next few years with manageable caps and comp picks at his disposal.
Amen Erick. Continually using every tool in the bag to build the best roster is so damn refreshing. Its the polar opposite of the Telesco approach of signing splashy FAs to build out quality starting lineups with complete shite depth. We’re not playing Madden. Great to see adults running the organization
Football seasons are full of adversity. How well you’re prepared to manage the adversity matters. How you react to the adversity matters. The tests determine your success. I am so much more confident that this organization has a plan and is prepared to adjust the plan based on the situation they find themselves in.
Definitely, Erick! And the best part is, the concept is cyclical. Even though we’re likely to max out our comp picks in 2025’s offseason (2026’s draft), Heinicke and Molden are both guys that can contribute to the compensatory formula after this season.
Heinicke is a decent bridge, high-end backup QB. The Falcons signed him for $7M APY last year. He was valued at a 6th round compensatory pick for the 2024 draft.
Molden’s value right now is probably around $2-3M APY (similar to Fulton), but if he shows out n Minter’s scheme, he could quickly bounce to $8-10M, almost scratching into Round 5 comp territory.
100% correct sir. The only thing that I can add is that I am astonished at the pace Hortiz makes these moves. What a difference from 10 years of little to no pace under TT.
Thanks for the write up Ryan. I like the move and am familiar with Molden as well. Thought he would make a good Charger back in the 2021 draft as well. I am sure that Jesse Minter weighed in heavily on how Molden would be an excellent fit for how he would implement him in this defense. I will trust in Minter and that Hortiz went and got a guy that Minter liked. With good coaching Molden could be a steal for this team.