{"id":114680,"date":"2021-05-29T16:29:47","date_gmt":"2021-05-29T20:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=114680"},"modified":"2021-05-29T16:29:47","modified_gmt":"2021-05-29T20:29:47","slug":"los-angeles-chargers-safety-depth-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/05\/29\/los-angeles-chargers-safety-depth-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Chargers Safety Depth Still a Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> had a successful draft overall. They finally solved the left tackle issue that they\u2019d let go unsolved in free agency, they added another cornerback in the second round, and added another competitor to the wide receiver corps \u2013 and that\u2019s just the most popular picks. The Chargers did a good job of fixing up the remaining gaps in the starting lineup and added some depth to round out some of the other positions needing it.<\/p>\n

This just leaves one position right now on the depth chart that has to be making fans nervous. Not because there are not clear starters, but because there\u2019s so little depth beyond them \u2013 and for various reasons, that\u2019s a problem. This would be the safety position. There are only five on the roster right now \u2013 which is surprisingly low for off-season\/training camp numbers.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Chargers Safety Group Still Needs More Depth<\/h2>\n

The Starters<\/h3>\n

The two main starters appear to be set in place. Obviously, there\u2019s Derwin James<\/a>, who was a rookie sensation in 2018 but has spent most of the last two seasons on injured reserve. Then at free safety, the Chargers appear set to start Nasir Adderley<\/a> \u2013 who struggled rather heavily in 2020. Despite that, new coach Brandon Staley seems to believe he can fix him. That may be a bit of a gamble, but Staley seems all-in on him<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still, that leaves them with only one known playmaker at safety (James) \u2013 and right now that playmaker is struggling to stay healthy. Given all of that, one would think that the Chargers would either want to have some more proven depth behind the starters or bring in more competition among undrafted free agents to see what they could find (granted, this was not a popular safety class, so there may have been slim pickings).<\/p>\n

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The Backups<\/h3>\n

After James and Adderley, this leaves only the three backups, only one of whom isn\u2019t a rookie. That would be Alohi Gilman<\/a>, who was a late-round pick in 2020 and apparently didn\u2019t impress, because the Chargers were very hesitant to allow him out there \u2013 to the point where cornerback Desmond King was sent out to safety and Jahleel Addae<\/a> of all people got brought back before Gilman would be allowed out there. There could certainly be some improvement in Year Two, but the apparent nervousness the Chargers had with playing him isn\u2019t a good sign.<\/p>\n

That leaves Mark Webb<\/a>, who is a seventh-round rookie and yet still possibly the best hope currently on the roster for a decent backup. There\u2019s also undrafted free agent Ben DeLuca. And that\u2019s it \u2013 that\u2019s the entire safeties lineup. And this is the 80-man roster, not the 53-man one. Unless they just feel that good about Webb, it\u2019s almost like they\u2019re banking completely on James not tearing up his knee again and Adderley having a big jump in Year Three. And considering the injury bug problems they often have, the Chargers should know better than most about the need for depth.<\/p>\n

Ways To Solve This<\/h3>\n

There are a couple of ways to solve this and have a better plan in place if James gets injured again and\/or Adderley flames out or gets injured himself. First, there\u2019s bringing back one of the veterans the Chargers didn\u2019t re-sign \u2013 which could mean bringing back Jahleel Addae again, or Jaylen Watkins<\/a>. Even if such a player ended up being primarily practice squad fodder (like Watkins was last year), that\u2019d still be more depth, and from a player who\u2019s been around longer at that.<\/p>\n

Then, of course, there\u2019s bringing in one of the unsigned free agent veterans. By now these players would be cheap and wouldn\u2019t even cut into the salary cap much. Perhaps this actually is the team\u2019s plan and they\u2019re just waiting for the right time (whenever that is). Nevertheless, available safety free agents include Kenny Vaccaro, Tre Boston (another former Charger), and Andrew Sendejo, among others.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fine if Staley doesn\u2019t want to add somebody else that would be inevitably competing for a starter position because he thinks he\u2019s got his guys. But surely one would at least want some more reliable backups or even just more competition with such a small lineup at this stage in the off-season.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>