For the Los Angeles Chargers' new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary, the most daunting and immediate task will be replicating what Jesse Minter was able to accomplish in the secondary.
Thankfully, he's still got most of his pieces intact. Derwin James will still play the nickel/dime role that's made him one of the best safeties in the league over the past few seasons. Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still, and Cam Hart all have room to take strides as the team's outside corners. Some combination of Elijah Molden, RJ Mickens, Tony Jefferson, and Genesis Smith will provide staunch coverage on the back-end when James shifts into the tackle box.
But with the departure of Benjamin St-Juste to the Green Bay Packers in free agency, O'Leary has some space to shuffle around the depth in the cornerback room. As of now, it seems like Eric Rogers, Deane Leonard, and backup nickel Nikko Reed will claim those final three roster spots.
UDFA cornerback Avery Smith, however, might have something to say about that. ESPN's Kris Rhim marked Smith as one of the most impressive contributors from yesterday's practice. If he can start to cement himself in on-field drills, there's a real chance he's able to squeeze onto the roster as CB6.
Day 5 Notes
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 3, 2026
-Tuli Tuipulotu again did not participate in team drills, continuing his limited participation as his contract situation remains unresolved.
- It was the defense's best practice of camp imo, consistently disrupting the offense and forcing several pass breakups.
- CB…
Avery Smith has a chance to make a surprising push for the 53-man roster
In terms of who will fill St-Juste's role at outside corner, Rogers is the most likely candidate. There's a chance that O'Leary simply wants to expand the opportunities for both Still and Hart. But Rogers impressed last preseason before suffering an injury that ultimately kept him off the field for his entire rookie campaign. If he's healthy this season, the Chargers will likely want to see what he can do with limited snaps.
But St-Juste's departure also opens up a sixth roster spot at cornerback, assuming both Leonard and Rogers are locks to make it.
Smith has a solid case to claim that spot. He spent four years at Toledo, taking on a starting cornerback role with the departure of Quinyon Mitchell and posting 37 solo tackles and nine PBUs in his final college season. He's undersized for the position, but he has solid instincts and a feel for the ball that's relatively unmistakable even in limited reps.
He's had multiple impressive plays in 11-on-11 drills, posting two PBUs in one session last week and tacking on an interception of DJ Uiagalelei yesterday.
He'll need to compete with Reed, who made the roster last season as a backup nickel but only appeared in five games. At this point, there isn't really a true path to more snaps for Smith considering James' clean bill of health in recent seasons.
But at the very least, another smattering of strong performances from Smith could force the team to make a decision between him and Reed on the final 53-man roster, and that'll be an emerging storyline to watch over the remainder of training camp.
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