Even under new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary, the strength of the Los Angeles Chargers' defense certainly lies in their secondary.
Derwin James Jr. remains one of the best and most versatile safeties in the NFL, and Elijah Molden, RJ Mickens, Tony Jefferson, and Genesis Smith form a formidable room beyond him. In the cornerback room, the Chargers also have a trio of promising starters in Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still, and Cam Hart.
But with Jackson reaching free agency after this season and Still and Hart heading into the third year of their rookie deals, Los Angeles has some lingeringuncertainty. The hope is likely that Still can establish himself as the Chargers' ace cornerback of the future, leaving them more flexibility when it comes to negotiations with Jackson next offseason.
Jim Harbaugh certainly seems to think he can take on that mantle, as he heaped praise upon Still on Saturday in his press availability.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on CB Tarheeb Still: "He's been incredible."
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) August 8, 2026
"Tarheeb's a player who established he belonged right away...he's in the process of seeing how far he can take it."
Still has been solid across his first two NFL seasons, but the Chargers are going to need see another leap from him before they're truly willing to bestow that mantle upon him.
The Chargers are likely banking on another major leap from Tarheeb Still in Year 3
Expectations frankly weren't that high for Jackson when he signed with Los Angeles as a free agent last offseason. He had just finished a middling campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it seemed as though his best years were behind him.
He was maximized in Jesse Minter's zone-heavy scheme, though, and he excelled in a reduced role. Although he played just 59% of the team's defensive snaps over the course of the season, there were certainly stretches where he was the most reliable cornerback on the field for Los Angeles.
Still has a real chance to get there in Year 3. He played 84% of defensive snaps across 15 games last season, totalling 48 solo tackles, seven pressures, and four PBUs and allowing a passer rating of just 95.6 while taking on primary outside corner duties, per Pro Football Focus. He still needs to clean up some of his tackling and consistency in the run game, but he also has real upside as a run defender and a physical presence in the secondary.
As Harbaugh said, Still has consistently proved himself since he arrive with the organization in 2024.
But if Los Angeles is going to let Jackson walk in free agency, they need to have complete confidence in the abilities of both Still and Hart to continue to maximize their skill sets. Joe Hortiz isn't known to spend on cornerbacks, meaning that any additions to that room over the next couple of seasons will likely come through the middle rounds of the draft or the later portions of free agency.
That doesn't mean they don't need an ace, though, and Still has all the makings of one. If he's able to solidify himself as the Chargers' best corner in 2026, that will go a long way toward easing some of the uncertainty surrounding the room over the next couple of seasons.
He's already well on his way to accomplishing that goal. He simply needs to finish the job in 2026.
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