Michael Davis
When Harris was signed, my initial assumption was that he would be the cornerback opposite Hayward. Harris will actually be playing in the slot, which gives Davis the second outside cornerback role.
In a way, it feels like Davis has become somewhat underrated. The issue that is still apparent in his game is tackling. In some key situations last year, the open field presented problems for Davis. It’s become somewhat of a contrast with Facyson. Davis does well in coverage but struggles with tackling, whereas the opposite is true for Facyson.
2019 was really Davis’ first year as the starter on the outside, and sometimes it feels like people forget how that happened. Hayward and Williams were supposed to be the duo in 2019, until injuries threw Davis into the spotlight. The Chargers fully expected Williams to return later in the year after placing him on injured reserve.
That’s not to make an excuse for Davis. There are still questionable coverage decisions that he makes. Not turning his head around quickly enough on passes is still inexcusable, even if it happened at a lower rate last year. However, it feels like people are unfair to him considering the circumstances he was in last year.
Davis played tighter in coverage than he has his whole career in 2019. His speed is still a very important trait, and will become even more important this year with the speedsters that Oakland, Denver, and Kansas City have. There was some development towards the end of the season that makes me more confident, especially with Harris now being a slot corner. The best man for the second cornerback job is Davis, even if Chargers fans aren’t fully sold yet.