The 10 best safeties in the history of the LA Chargers

A ferocious safety has been at the heart of many great defenses in NFL history. From Ed Reed on the Baltimore Ravens to Troy Polamalu on the Pittsburgh Steelers to Ronnie Lott on the San Francisco 49ers, elite safeties have proven to make a world of difference for a defense.

The Chargers have certainly benefitted from some hard-hitting safeties, even if the franchise has never had someone quite to the level of those already mentioned. Without a marquee all-time name, it is worth questioning who the best safety in franchise history is.

Criteria for selection:

Defensive statistics are naturally flawed when comparing players across different eras. Not only has the style of play completely changed with time, but basic stats like sacks and tackles were not officially recorded for many years of the league's existence.

Thus, it is important to take into context how impactful a particular safety was on his team as well as the accolades they recorded with the team. All-Pro and Pro Bowls are the best way to gauge how a player stood compared to his peers, even if those metrics are not perfect.

It is important to note that while there are some great safeties in Chargers history, this list does not have the same level of depth as other positions in franchise history. Thus, the players who round out the back half of this list might not be the most memorable.

The top 10 safeties in Chargers history:

10. Glen Edwards

Glen Edwards had a long decade-plus career in the NFL that saw the former safety make the Pro Bowl two times. However, both of those Pro Bowl appearances were with his first team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Edwards spent the first seven years of his career as part of the vaunted Steel Curtain defense in Pittsburgh. The veteran safety, who was not known for being the cleanest player, was then traded to the Chargers, where he would spend the last four years of his career.

Edwards picked off 14 passes in those four seasons and was particularly productive in 1979 and 1980.

9. Bryant Salter

Bryant Salter came into the league in the same year as Edwards in 1971. Ironically enough, Salter was drafted by the Chargers out of Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 1971 NFL Draft. His career would never intersect with Edwards, though, as he played just three seasons with the Bolts.

Those seasons were productive, however. Salter was a starter right away for the Bolts, hauling in 13 interceptions in his first two years in the league (including a 14th interception in his third season). Salter's tenure may have been short but he did enough to crack a relatively thin top-10 list.

8. Mike Fuller

If we were also factoring in special teams impact then Mike Fuller would be even higher on this list as he is one of the best returners in franchise history. While returning may have been his bread and butter, Fuller did enough on defense to earn his spot as one of the best safeties in franchise history.

Fuller's 15 interceptions is tied for the fifth-most among safeties in franchise history. He never had anything close to a Pro-Bowl ceiling as a safety (like some ahead of him on this list had) but he was a serviceable, talented safety for a franchise without many all-time greats at the position.

7. Bud Whitehead

Bud Whitehead is one of the earliest safeties in franchise history as he was drafted in the 16th round of the 1961 AFL Draft by the Bolts. Whitehead joined the Chargers in the franchise's season year of existence and would spend his entire eight-season career with the Bolts.

Whitehead was a starting member of the defense for the only championship team in franchise history (1963) and he followed that up with a season that should have warranted an AFL All-Star nod. In 19765, Whitehead recorded seven interceptions with a pick-six in 14 games.

6. Darren Carrington

Darren Carrington jumped around from team to team early in his NFL career before finding a long-lasting home with the Chargers. Drafted in the fifth round of the 1989 NFL Draft, Carrington was a non-impactful player in his rookie season with the Denver Broncos. The Detroit Lions then took a chance on him in 1990, where it was more of the same.

That led Carrington to San Diego, where he wasn't instantly a starter. In fact, Carrington started a combined five games in his first two seasons with the Bolts as he mostly produced on the special teams side of the ball.

However, by year three Carrington carved out a starting spot he would hold for his final two years in LA. All in all, Carrington finished with the fourth-most interceptions in franchise history for a safety (22). Unlike the top five, though, Carrington never had a high ceiling. He was good, not great.

5. Adrian Phillips

Adrian Phillips will be remembered by modern Chargers fans as the one who got away. Phillips does not have the overall counting stats as some of his counterparts but the impact he had with the Chargers is undeniable.

Phillips played an instrumental role on the 2018 Chargers defense that helped fuel the team to a 12-4 record. Not a traditional safety, Phillips moved around the defense and proved to be an impactful chess piece for the Bolts.

This resulted in Phillips earning an All-Pro nod for his efforts. Then, for reasons unbeknownst to Chargers fans, the team let Phillips sign a cheap two-year, $6 million contract with the New England Patriots after the 2019 season.

And of course, he instantly became a productive member of Bill Belichick's defense.

4. Kenny Graham

Kenny Graham was absolutely dominant during his tenure with the Chargers in the 1960s. Graham was a 13th-round pick for the Chargers in the 1964 AFL Draft and a 12th-round pick for the Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL Draft. Graham chose to sign with the Chargers.

Graham would go on to have a short seven-year professional football career, six of which were with the Chargers. Graham was named an AFL All-Star four times in those six years while also earning one All-AFL First Team nod and three All-AFC Second Team nods.

In terms of pure accolades, Graham has as good of a case as anyone on this list for the No. 1 spot. However, there are a few modern tight ends who also reached that elite tier with much tougher competition.

3. Derwin James

Derwin James has accomplished a lot in his NFL career and is still feels like he has not accomplished as much as he could have. Injuries derailed James' second and third season in the league and then there was a bad head coach fit that resulted in him regressing.

James was still a Second Team All-Pro in Brandon Staley's second year as head coach but the former first-round pick got worse as Staley's tenure continued. Still, even with his holes as a coverage safety exposed, James has done enough to earn a top-three spot in this list.

The versatile safety does not even crack the top-10 interceptions list for safeties in franchise history as that is not his bread and butter. There are few safeties who can move around the defense and have the kind of impact James has.

If James can piece together a productive second half of his 20s with the Chargers then he has a chance to move up even higher on this list.

2. Rodney Harrison

Rodney Harrison has the most interceptions for a safety in franchise history but he still does not crack the top spot on this list. Being the second-best safety in franchise history — when you didn't even spend your entire career with the team — in not a bad concession at all.

In addition to being the second-greatest safety in Chargers history, Harrison will also go down as one of the best late-round picks in franchise history. The Chargers selected Harrison in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft and got far more out of him than the team ever could have imagined.

Harrison was merely a special teams player his first two years in the league and did not start a single game on defense. After finally getting a chance to start in 1996, Harrison put together two solid seasons.

Then Harrison peaked with the Chargers as he earned his only All-Pro nod with an exceptional season in 1998. Injuries slowed Harrison down in 1999 and while he was good in 2000 and 2001, he didn't regain his old form. Like Phillips, Harrison then left for the New England Patriots and was an All-Pro again in his very first season. He spent six years with the Pats and won two Super Bowls.

1. Eric Weddle

Eric Weddle did not leave the Chargers on great terms and the bearded safety did not shy away from that reality after leaving the team. Among other things, Weddle was fined $10,000 by the Chargers for not going into the locker room during halftime and instead watching his daughter's performance. Can't blame him there.

Regardless of how ugly it was at the end, there is no denying Weddle as the best safety in franchise history. He may not have the No. 1 spot on the interception list like Harrison but his overall impact on defense was massive for the Bolts.

Weddle was a second-round pick by the Bolts in 2007 and he earned his spot as a starter in his sophomore year. He slowly got better with time, earning a Second Team All-Pro nod in 2010 before becoming a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2011.

All in all, Weddle was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro who recorded 683 solo tackles with the team. Weddle went on to make three more Pro Bowls with the Baltimore Ravens, giving him a case to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 10 best safeties in Chargers history by intereptions: