LA Chargers: Players who could be hurt the most by a virtual offseason

LA Chargers hurt the most by a virtual offseason: Desmond King

Desmond King is one of the most intriguing players on the LA Chargers this offseason based on how he has played the last two years. Two years ago, King was a crucial part of the defense that led the Chargers to a 12-4 record and was named an All-Pro for his efforts.

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Last season, though, King struggled immensely in pass coverage. He actually played a smaller percentage of snaps on the defensive side of the ball despite the several injuries to the defense and didn’t just take a step back, but was pretty bad.

Of any corner that played in at least 20 percent of his team’s snaps last season, King allowed the second-highest reception rate on passes targeted his way. 87.2 percent of passes targeted at King were completed.

King is now entering a contract year that very well could determine what the future of his career in the NFL looks like and is he likely going to take up a new role with the addition of Chris Harris to the secondary to play slot corner.

The most likely scenario is that King plays a role similar to Adrian Phillips, who signed with the New England Patriots in the offseason. King is versatile and could line up at corner, safety and even nickel linebacker, but we cannot fully buy into him being serviceable in the role until we see it.

A virtual offseason does not give us the tangible on-field reps that the team is going to need to determine how and how often the team wants to utilize King on the defense.