The LA Chargers have had an interesting offseason to say the least. Despite having the second-most cap space to spend, the Chargers have been rather inactive in NFL free agency. The moves the Chargers have made have also been questionable.
General manager Joe Hortiz made another questionable move on Wednesday in signing Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. This follows a familiar trend as the Donte Jackson signing from two days earlier as the Bolts are signing someone who has struggled in recent years.
This is another discount signing for the Chargers with St-Juste agreeing to a one-year deal with the team. It also fits perfectly with the trend of the offseason, as Chargers fans are not happy with the signing.
Chargers sign another project in Benjamin St-Juste
It's starting to feel like Hortiz is addicted to signing bad players and fixing them on the Chargers. The Chargers had some success doing that last offseason but the team also had no cap space to work this.
Los Angeles has ample cap space this offseason and is still working around the fringes and signing players off the scrap heap. It is safe to say this isn't what Chargers fans expected out of this offseason.
All it takes is one glance at St-Juste's Pro Football Focus page to see how much he has struggled in the NFL. While PFF grades are not everything, it's never a great sign when your career-high is a 59.9 PFF grade. St-Juste had a 47.7 defense grade in 2024 with a 46.5 coverage grade.
Maybe grades aren't your thing— great. Let's look at the numbers. St-Juste allowed 48 receptions on 79 targets for 638 yards and four touchdowns last season. He had more penalties (9) than he did pass break-ups (7).
There is nothing wrong with taking fliers on players who have struggled with their previous teams. Hortiz had success taking those fliers last offseason and they do serve an important role in the team-building process.
However, a team with the second-most cap space in the league shouldn't only be taking fliers. Hortiz is potentially flying too close to the sun thinking the Chargers can turn around every single mediocre player they sign this offseason.
The Chargers are operating the same way in 2025 as they were in 2024. The main difference is last year, the Chargers had to cut players simply to be cap compliant. This year, the team has ample money to spend but is too fixated on the dollar menu.