The Chargers are counting on the play of their secondary to push them over the hump. With injuries, inconsistent play from starters, and young talent, there is plenty of uncertainty in the lineup and this training camp will give us some more clarity about how this group will perform. There is one battle that will define this group’s play, especially when it is at full strength. In this year’s camp battle, the highlight will be Ja’Sir Taylor vs Asante Samuel Jr.
Chargers Training Camp Battle: Ja’Sir Taylor Vs Asante Samuel Jr.
As mentioned in a previous article on the Chargers training camp battles, Asante Samuel Jr. saw his role decrease during the end of the season. Was this just a random blip on the radar, or was this a sign of things to come?
“Asante Samuel Jr. was “benched” leading to his snap counts dropping from 100% to 71% in the last four weeks of the season. While not a massive drop-off, his role did diminish for seemingly no reason. The main reason behind his diminished role was his subpar tackling ability. With the Chargers run defense struggling especially in the second and third levels, Samuel Jr. was picked out as a liability and replaced with the bigger rookie Ja’Sir Taylor.”
Asante Samuel Jr. Profile
Asante Samuel Jr. is the son of the now-trending Asante Samuel. Learning from his father, Samuel is a complete ballhawk, who we last remember collecting three interceptions in the absolute crushing loss to the Jaguars in the Wild Card Round. Samuel Jr. is 5′-10″, 184-pounds, and just 23 years old. He was the Chargers second-round selection in 2021, falling from his projected stock of late first-round.
Pros
- Samuel Jr is able to mirror receivers, using his agility and smarts to blanket defenders and shut them down;
- Thrives in off-man coverage;
- Can play both in the slot and on the outside;
- Competitive;
- Tackling mindset.
Cons
- Size;
- Struggles to tackle due to his slim frame, especially struggles against bigger ball carriers;
- Getting off blocks.
2022 Stats
Snaps: 972 + 91 on Special Teams
Interceptions: 2
Pass Deflections: 11
Tackles: 57
Completions Allowed: 48
Completion Percentage Allowed: 55.2%
Yards Per Target: 7.2
Touchdowns Allowed: 7
Miss Tackle Rate: 5%
Case For Asante Samuel Jr
Overall, Asante Samuel Jr. is a solid corner, especially for his age and experience. He shows great toughness and aggressiveness, which can eventually translate to tackling. Samuel Jr. brings versatility and the ability to blanket receivers in man coverage. He also showed major improvement in zone coverage this season, showing he can read the eyes of the quarterback and undercut routes. His agility and processing go hand in hand with his ability to man the slot at a high level. He is younger than Ja’Sir Taylor and has more playing experience as well.
Ja’Sir Taylor Profile
Ja’Sir Taylor was the Chargers sixth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. He surpassed expectations, showing his ability to be a good spot-starter for this secondary, at what head coach Brandon Staley calls the “star” role. This is Staley verbiage for a slot corner. Taylor was a former high school track star, showing his athletic ability with his strong 8.29 RAS score. Taylor weighs in at 188 pounds, standing at 5′-11″ and running a 4.47 40-yard dash.
Pros
- RAS score;
- Special teams ability;
- Strong tackler;
- Blitz ability;
- Positional versatility.
Cons
- Lapses in coverage;
- Inexperienced;
- On the smaller side.
2022 Stats
Snaps: 161 + 258 on Special Teams
Interceptions: 0
Pass Deflections: 1
Tackles: 22
Completions Allowed: 7
Completion Percentage Allowed: 63.6%
Yards Per Target: 10.3
Touchdowns Allowed: 0
Miss Tackle Rate: 12%
Chargers recover the fumble! #BoltUp
📺: #DENvsLAC on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/mKmqBgUsbz pic.twitter.com/qiT2odU7cY— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2022
Case For Ja’Sir Taylor
Ja’Sir Taylor brings a more stout, strong defender in the star role for Staley and the Chargers secondary. Taylor will be able to tackle, blitz, and fight hard against whoever he is lined up against. He has looked good in OTAs, and his stock is only rising. Chargers Defensive Coordinator, Derrick Ansley, Taylor is “mature past his age… He’s a very quiet kid, very observant. He understands the big picture. He’s working hard.”
Asante Samuel or Ja’Sir Taylor?
It all comes down to what Brandon Staley and company want in their slot defender. If we look at last year and see the skillset Bryce Callahan brought to the table, it would make more sense that we would have Asante Samuel Jr. Samuel Jr. is younger, a higher draft pick, who has shown genuine elite play. Samuel has always thrived in coverage, breaking up passes and being aggressive on the ball with his quick feet and smarts. Although, moving him to the inside would show off his weaknesses as a smaller, weaker tackler, which in turn would feed into the Chargers to their kryptonite of the last few years, the run defense.
On the flip side, if Staley decided to go with Ja’Sir Taylor, you will get a much more stout run defender, who can also blitz the quarterback. Taylor would thrive more as a star than an outside corner, which gives even more reason to keep him inside. Although, as mentioned, Taylor is far from perfect. He struggles in coverage and seems to have lapses, which is inexcusable if you’re trying to make a run into the playoffs, in a passing league. Taylor has been making strides in OTAs to clean up those rookie mistakes, which makes this battle even more intriguing.
Main Photo: Corey Perrine – USA Today Sports
