The LA Chargers took on several defensive projects under former head coach Brandon Staley with the hope they would develop in Staley's once-successful defense. Ja'Sir Taylor is one of those projects.
Taken in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Chargers took a shot on Taylor because of his athleticism and the high ceiling he possessed relative to other sixth-round picks. In a perfect world, Taylor would have developed his skillset under Staley to become a valuable, versatile member of the secondary.
That never happened. Taylor never put it together and he struggled every chance he got. The Chargers cut ties with Taylor midway through the 2025 season, trading him to the New York Jets for the least amount of draft capital possible. After a porous season on both coasts, Taylor seemed more likely to land a UFL gig than an NFL one.
But that's not the case. Per ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Cincinnati Bengals are signing Taylor to a one-year contract. The 2022 Chargers draft class lives on.
Ja'Sir Taylor is the perfect metaphor for an awful 2022 Chargers draft class
Taylor may have secured a one-year deal with a potential AFC contender, but his spot on the roster is far from guaranteed. The former Chargers cornerback will have to earn his spot in training camp on a Bengals defense that could really use the help.
Taylor played 138 defensive snaps last season and logged a 41.1 Pro Football Focus grade. Just like in Los Angeles, Taylor struggled in coverage and was atrocious with his tackling. This dichotomy is why it's so surprising he landed a spot in free agency; Taylor doesn't have much defensive or special teams value.
Unfortunately, Taylor's mediocre NFL career is the perfect metaphor for what is a bad Chargers 2022 draft class. Seven of the Chargers' eight picks in the 2022 draft is either playing somewhere else in the NFL or has been chased out of the league altogether. It's truly a disasterclass of roster building.
Pick | Player |
|---|---|
No. 17 | Zion Johnson |
No. 79 | JT Woods |
No. 123 | Isaiah Spiller |
No. 160 | Otito Ogbonnia |
No. 195 | Jamaree Salyer |
No. 214 | Ja'Sir Taylor |
No. 236 | Deane Leonard |
No. 260 | Zander Horvath |
Deane Leonard is the only member of the 2022 class still on the Chargers. He has found a role as a special teams contributor and re-signed with the team this offseason. That's all the Chargers have to show for the 2022 class in four short years: a special teams contributor.
As long as it doesn't hurt the Chargers' chances in any way, fans should hope Taylor succeeds for the Bengals in 2022. It may not have worked out in Los Angeles but it's not like he wronged the team. He was simply drafted into a position he was bound to fail in with a head coach who was fired a year and a half after drafting him.
But we'd be lying if we said we aren't surprised by Taylor's one-year deal with the Bengals. It looked like he was going to go the way of Isaiah Spiller and Zander Horvath.