Los Angeles Chargers: Six free agents to avoid this offseason

Byron Jones

There is a need at cornerback for the Chargers. Casey Hayward is still on his All-Pro level, but Michael Davis still has problems when it comes to tackling and Brandon Facyson is mediocre in most coverage schemes. Hayward is also probably not that long from being replaced in the long term, considering he’s already over 30 years old. The Chargers do need a younger, talented cornerback.

However, the answer to that isn’t Byron Jones, who will have more than a few teams willing to throw a massive contract at him this offseason. Jones is a solid coverage cornerback, but he isn’t really a ball hawk. This is a bit of a problem in Gus Bradley’s scheme if he’s trying to make the secondary into the Legion of Boom.

Plus, there’s plenty of cheaper options that can be developed through the draft. Even in rounds four through six, there’s still solid talent in most mock drafts like Troy Pride Jr. or Lamar Jackson. Both aren’t fully developed yet, but it’s easy to see them or a cornerback of their caliber in the draft becoming the second corner opposite Hayward in a few years.

$18 million per season and $60 million guaranteed is a lot to give up for a cornerback. The need isn’t that dire for the Chargers either, as Davis is still relatively serviceable and probably replaceable after this year. If the Chargers want to improve the corner spot, there are more efficient options in the draft and free agency that are ultimately better fits for Gus Bradley’s system.