LA Chargers Roster: 3 positions with the most concern post-cuts
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers roster is officially set — albeit with concerns.
No NFL roster is perfect and just like every other team, the LA Chargers roster has concerning areas that could come back to bite the team down the stretch.
The Chargers establish their official roster over the weekend, cutting 26 players to get the roster down to the 53 mark. You can find the official Chargers roster heading into Week 1 here.
There definitely were some surprises but for the most part, the roster shaped up how many expected it to. By trimming down the numbers, though, the Chargers had to choose certain areas of need over others.
As a result, just like with every roster in the league, some concerning position groups were exposed. Here are the three most concerning heading into the season.
1. Strong safety
The LA Chargers were dealt a terrible blow the weekend prior to last when Derwin James tore his meniscus and warranted himself out for the next 6-8 months as a result. We will not see James in powder blue this season.
Following the injury, many expected the team to bring in a veteran safety to add depth. While Earl Thomas was a fun idea, former Chargers Jahleel Addae and Jaylen Watkins made sense just from a familiarity standpoint.
It seemed to be a guarantee that the Chargers would bring in a safety when they included Tyree St. Louis on the final roster but left a practice squad spot open. Practical wisdom told us that the team would sign a safety and move St. Louis to the practice squad.
However, the Chargers made no waiver claims over the weekend and general manager Tom Telesco told reporters that they do not view the team as thin at safety without James.
I would disagree. I like the tandem of Rayshawn Jenkins and Nasir Adderley together and having Desmond King as a depth option is great. My problem is that the team doesn’t really have a backup strong safety.
It appears as if they are buying in on Alohi Gilman being a backup strong safety, which is scary. Gilman is a great tackler and will be a solid special teams player but I do not like the idea of him in coverage against a speedy receiver if Jenkins goes out.
King could theoretically play strong safety as well but that removes him from other assets of the defense. All in all, I think it would be beneficial for the Chargers to add a depth safety.