LA Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter quickly established himself as one of the best coaches in the league last season. Minter turned a struggling Chargers defense around from being one of the worst in the league to having the No. 1 scoring defense in 2024.
Minter did so by turning around various players on his defense, particularly in the secondary. The Chargers did a great job of putting every player in the best position to succeed, leading to several pleasant surprises.
That being said, not every player is fixable and the Chargers might be biting off more than they can chew. Los Angeles signed former Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste with the hope of turning him around like the team did with Kristian Fulton last season.
The early impressions are not great as St-Juste has struggled mightily in the preseason. These struggles haven't really derailed his stock on the roster, though, as Minter called him a starting-caliber cornerback.
- No team reps for the second day for Taylor Heinicke
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 20, 2025
- Cam Hart was active in pass coverage today. Jesse Minter said the Chargers have four starters at CB. (Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still, Hart, St Juste)
Jesse Minter calls Bejamin St-Juste a starter for the Chargers
Minter's stance on St-Juste is a bit concerning. Obviously, the Chargers' defensive coordinator wasn't going to go out and bash his own player. But the fact he included him in this company shows a belief in St-Juste that Chargers fans simply don't have.
It's hard to have faith in St-Juste given his track record and how he has played this preseason. His entire career has been disappointing, leading Commanders fans to literally cheer when he signed elsewhere in the spring. Chargers fans are now seeing firsthand why those fans cheered.
Pro Football Focus gives St-Juste a 37.4 coverage grade for his preseason efforts thus far. PFF grades aren't perfect but the numbers more than support this paltry grade. The five-year veteran had an awful rep against the Los Angeles Rams last week in which he let a seventh-round rookie take his lunch money on a one-on-one route.
This poor rep from St-Juste gave the Rams a touchdown. And while it came in a game that didn't count, it was a warning sign to highlight what could go wrong if St-Juste plays a prominent role in the secondary this season.
Thankfully, there aren't four starting cornerback spots on the defense. With other starting-caliber cornerbacks on the roster, the hope is that St-Juste is the odd man out and doesn't log many snaps in the regular season.
However, the fact that Minter put him in the same company as his peers opens the door for a more traditional split in the secondary. This means more St-Juste ond defense, which is the last thing Chargers fans want to see.
Hopefully, this was just a case of Minter being nice and not wanting to throw his own player under the bus. Because, as it stands right now, St-Juste looks much more like a cut candidate than a starter.