With the departure of Benjamin St-Juste this offseason, the Los Angeles Chargers had an immediate need for an additional outside corner to work into the rotation in their secondary.
St-Juste took 37% of the team's defensive snaps across the 16 games he played last season. Although he didn't possess the highest upside in coverage, he was able to be maximized as a reliable depth piece in Jesse Minter's zone-heavy scheme.
The Chargers, though, figured they could get away with replacing him internally, either through an existing cornerback or a UDFA. They ultimately did so through their decision to keep Rodney Shelley on the 53-man roster, trading away fellow UDFA Avery Smith and waiving Eric Rogers.
Shelley more than earned his spot with his performance in the preseason—he had multiple major PBUs and looked generally solid in his snaps on the outside. More than that, though, it seems like it was his mentality and confidence that the Chargers coaching staff ultimately gravitated towards.
CB Rodney Shelley on making the Chargers 53-man roster: “My mentality was to come in here and push other guys, have other guys push me as well.”
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) August 31, 2026
“I just wanted to show my assets, my ability for this team”
On Coach Clinkscale: “He’s pushed me everyday to be the best I can be” pic.twitter.com/abRqtzoHgi
But now that the spot is his, he'll need to face almost immediate pressure. The Chargers' depth at the position isn't all that inspiring, and if Shelley can't quickly prove he belongs at the NFL level, the team could quickly pull of a move to shore up the position.
Rodney Shelley now needs to quickly prove himself against NFL-level competition
It's one thing to impress the coaching staff in the preseason and in training camp. It's another thing entirely to exhibit consistent play on a week-to-week basis in the NFL.
If you could tackle consistently and wrap your head around Minter's zone-matching scheme, you had a chance to be a viable NFL corner over the past two years with Los Angeles. Things should look much the same under new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary.
But by trading away Smith, the Chargers have left themselves with a very thin safety net if their gamble on Shelley ultimately falls flat. As of now, they have one cornerback on the depth chart behind Shelley— Deane Leonard, who's largely been a special teams piece throughout his career and has been too inconsistent in coverage to trust with extensive snaps on the defense.
Moving on from Smith was an inevitable option after the team ultimately went with Shelley on the 53-man roster. He likely would've been picked up on waivers, and the Chargers were able to net draft capital in the process.
They also currently have just two confirmed cornerbacks on the practice squad—Nikko Reed and Isax Waxter. Reed will likely see some time on the active roster as a backup nickel behind Derwin James Jr., but he played just six snaps at outside corner last season. Former first-round pick Kaiir Elam has also been reported as a practice squad signing, but nothing's been confirmed yet.
That does leave Shelley as their best option to replace St-Juste, and it means there's not currently anyone pushing to take his spot from within the organization.
But it also means that the team has no cushion for Shelley—he needs to perform immediately behind Donte Jackson, Cam Hart, and Tarheeb Still, or they will need to explore their external options beyond simply elevating Waxter or Elam.
That's the gamble the Chargers took when they let St-Juste walk this offseason, and it's the gamble they're taking now by keeping Shelley on the 53-man roster.
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