With a new defensive coordinator in the fold in Chris O'Leary, the Los Angeles Chargers are going to need to lean on their veterans more than they have over the past couple of seasons to help keep things clean.
Many of the worries about a defensive regression for the Chargers under O'Leary are, frankly, overblown. He worked under Jesse Minter at multiple stops, and he has deep familiarity with much of the team's personnel from his time as their safeties coach in 2024. There will be some changes, particularly in terms of pressure creation and blitz usage. But for the most part, we should expect to see something similar to what Los Angeles got under Minter over the past two seasons.
There will be some growing pains, though, and that's where the Chargers will need to lean on their veterans in order to help ease the transition. While the stars—including Derwin James Jr. and Tuli Tuipulotu—will take on much of this burden, it also falls upon pieces like Donte Jackson and Elijah Molden.
Molden, particularly, has a chance to fully blossom into the type of versatile safety the Chargers knew he could be when they nabbed him in a trade with the Tennessee Titans ahead of the 2024 campaign. With two years remaining on his deal, Molden isn't yet playing for a new contract.
But this will be his first season with the Chargers with a full build-up leading into the campaign, and that could make all the difference as the team leans on him for support.
Elijah Molden will be a load-bearing pillar for the Chargers' defense under Chris O'Leary
Before Molden arrived in Los Angeles, he was already playing at an All-Pro level. He amassed 73 tackles and split snaps between the box, the slot corner position, and more of a free safety role during his final season in Tennessee. That versatility was the reason the Chargers acquired him, and he's since slipped into a bona fide starting role across from James as Los Angeles' free safety.
As good as he's been over the past two seasons, though, it's doubtful we've seen everything there is to be unlocked in Molden's game.
He was acquired at the roster cut-down deadline ahead of the 2024 season, meaning he had minimal time to acclimate himself to Minter's zone-matching scheme upon his arrival in Los Angeles. Then, in what was meant to be his first full offseason with the organization, Molden ended up rehabbing a broken leg that caused him to miss much of training camp and a smattering of games over the first half of the season.
He's obviously had plenty of time by now to get acclimated to the Chargers' defensive system, and he's become a major factor in their ability to move James into his traditional nickel/dime role over the past two seasons. But the importance of entering a campaign with momentum on your side, in terms of both health and performance, can't be overstated.
With some uncertainty lingering at the second safety spot, Molden will be relied upon to relay that momentum into consistent on-field performance. Los Angeles has three primary options to take the field next to Molden—RJ Mickens, Genesis Smith, and Tony Jefferson. That trio presents an intriguing mix of skill sets, and if Smith particularly is able to carve out a significant snap share, Molden may be asked to play down in the box more often than he's been over the past two seasons.
Los Angeles will likely continue to experiment with their safety rotation over the course of the campaign. But Molden will be the constant piece in the secondary, and as the Chargers attempt to smooth out any wrinkles in O'Leary's scheme, they'll be depending on high-level play from Molden to help keep things above board.
As a 27-year-old that's never been able to quite crack the upper echelons of his position, it leaves Molden with a chance to truly solidify himself as one of the league's best safeties.
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