The Los Angeles Chargers still have a set of major questions to answer as they prepare to enter training camp in late July.
First and foremost is the battle for the starting left guard spot between Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning, and Kayode Awosika. They then have roster battles to attend to in the edge rusher and linebacker rooms.
But as the departure of Benjamin St-Juste continues to underlie the Chargers secondary this offseason, they also have a decision to make in their cornerback room. Who will take on St-Juste's role, and which of the fringe roster competitors will benefit from the opening of an additional spot?
As of now, it seems like Eric Rogers, who was a member of last year's UDFA class and came close to making the roster out of training camp, has the inside track. That leaves a number of players, including UDFA nickelback Avery Smith, with an almost impossible battle ahead of them.
Avery Smith was an option to crack the roster as a backup nickel/dime corner, but that path may already be blocked
Smith, who played all four years of his college career at Toledo and ascended to a starting role after the departure of Quinyon Mitchell, doesn't necessarily have the length or the skill-set to be a viable option on the outside for the Chargers secondary. There was never a real path, therefore, for Smith to replace what St-Juste accomplished last season.
But there was, at one point, a way to imagine a path for him to the roster. Nikko Reed functioned as Los Angeles' backup nickel last season behind Derwin James Jr., playing 50 snaps over the five games in which he appeared. If Smith had turned heads through OTAs and mandatory mini-camp, there was a chance he could ride that momentum into the preseason and ultimately displace Reed on the depth chart.
There's been no indication, however, that Smith accomplished that during the offseason program. Although he did nearly record a pick-six in seven-on-seven drills, that's the lone note we've gotten about Smith this offseason.
It goes even beyond Smith's individual performances, though. With Rasul Douglas off the market, the Chargers' options to bring in a veteran outside cornerback are now slim. This leaves the cornerback room with some combination of Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, Eric Rogers, Deane Leonard, and Nikko Reed.
While there was space to make an argument for them to carry a seventh cornerback, it's become clear the Chargers will likely want to utilize that roster spot elsewhere. Perhaps it's to carry an additional edge rusher or offensive lineman.
As we head into training camp with no real news about the cornerback room, therefore, it reveals more than you might think. While Smith will likely be a practice squad stash this season, his path to the roster may already have been blocked off by Los Angeles' overall roster needs and the presumed primacy of Rogers among the fringe roster competitors.
In short, no news is good news for Rogers. It's bad news for Smith.
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