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Roster Reset: Cornerback

Ryan Watkins · 2025-05-18T17:58:07Z

Good Morning Stormcloud! We're now moving onto the defensive side of the ball which under Jesse Minter's watch has turned into an exciting group of players. There was less turnover here but there is still plenty to discuss! This evaluation will therefore include: Returning players who signed a new deal with the team External free agents who signed before the May 1st compensation pick exemption deadline Players who were added in any of the seven rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft Undrafted free agents (UDFA) who signed deals with the team after the draft Unsigned players who are listed as camp invites in media reports Note: If a player has an asterisk after their name (*) this means that they were added during the 2024 season and have been retained Outgoing players Asante Samuel Jr Kristian Fulton Matt Hankins Zamari Walton Chris Wilcox Thomas Harper Robert Kennedy INGLEWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 15: Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still (29) celebrates with his teammates after an interception during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Chargers game on December 15, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire) The new look CB room Incumbent (4): Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, Deane Leonard, Ja'Sir Taylor Returning (0): N/A Free Agents (2): Donte Jackson, Benjamin St-Juste Draft (1): Trikweze Bridges UDFA (5): Myles Purchase, Nikko Reed, Jordan Oladokun, Eric Rogers Returning The Chargers did not bring back a single outgoing corner which is interesting for a few reasons. The first is that it's clear the Chargers like the young core of this unit, with two of the three starters going into their second year in the league. The four incumbent players are a stable enough foundation to build from but it's still rare to see a team choose to let go of the entirety of their reserves. Teams put a lot of their time and resources into developing these players to a point where they can be contributors so to forego that in favor of pursuing new players is noteworthy. This is likely due to the fact that, due to injuries, every single player on the outgoing list was able to be tested in regular season action. Joe Hortiz and his front office have shown they will make pragmatic changes instead of sitting on their hands waiting for development that may never arrive and this is another example of that mentality.Free Agents Donte Jackson was, surprisingly, the only defensive addition that accounted for more than 1.5% of the cap. I think we all recognized that the defense didn't need as much change as the other side of the ball but this type of signing being the marquee recruit was unexpected at least to me. The Bolts offered Jackson a 2 year $13 million deal with $7 million guaranteed which means he's the highest paid corner on the team by some margin. Donte was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2018 draft after impressing with his blazing 4.32 speed at the combine. The former LSU Tiger earned a mid level three year contract at the end of his rookie deal however before he could see that deal out, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Diontae Johnson and a late round pick swap. Jackson hasn't grown into the player either the Panthers or Steelers expected him to be. His biggest issues are in tackling, he has an ugly 17.5% career missed tackle rate with no signs of this improving. However he counters this weakness with an impressive ability to take the ball away; Donte has 52 pass break ups and 19 career interceptions, including 5 last year. His profile as a ball-hawking shorter outside corner with a tackling issue, may sound familiar as it aligns with Asante Samuel Jr's skill set but Jackson provides some significant upgrades. He has more experience, availability and by all accounts he is a joyful person to have in the locker room. The same cannot be said for the player Jackson is replacing. His experience and attitude is going to have a positive impact in such a young cornerback group but I think the primary reasons the Chargers sought after him can be found in the coverage types he excels at. Credit for this metric (as always) goes to MatchQuarters' Cody Alexander As the ever reliant Cody Alexander has shown in the graphic above there are two coverage types in which Donte Jackson will offer surplus value. The first was obviously going to be man coverage which was what he was drafted at 55th overall for, his speed and stickiness allows him to play tight against the league's best burners which is and always will be a coveted trait. If you combined the skills of the standout sophomore pair of Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart you would find one skill missing from their amalgamation. Neither player has the kind of speed that can match up with the type of elite burners that this team will face this season and beyond. The Chiefs are building a track team with all four of their primary receivers being able to run sub 4.5 but a good deal of the Chargers' 2025 opponents ...

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david2ryan

May 04, 2024 5:26 am

(@david2ryan)

Joined: 2 years ago

Yeah that's fair Given that this is likely a rebuild year, it sounds like it would make the most sense to take the early season hit and go with Williams who has the higher ceiling. Great article!

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Roster Reset: Cornerback

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