The Chargers are continuing to fill out the depth of the roster in Jim Harbaugh's first season. On Wednesday, the Chargers made the shocking move to sign former Las Vegas Raiders draft bust Alex Leatherwood to compete for an offensive line spot in training camp.
Leatherwood's signing brings the roster up to 88 players and that is before the team inevitably waives Corey Linsley after June 1. This gives the Chargers three more roster spots to utilize for training camp, assuming the team does not waive anyone else.
While the Bolts are not going to sign someone who completely tilts the 2024 season on its head, the team does have particular needs that it can address at this point in the summer.
Chargers must address these positions after signing Alex Leatherwood:
1. Safety
As it stands right now, the Chargers' third safety option behind Derwin James and Alohi Gilman is JT Woods. That simply is not good enough, and with several unknowns, the Chargers would be foolish not to add one more impactful safety to the fold.
James has proven that he plays better near the line of scrimmage and is not a traditional two-high safety, which opens the door for playing time in the defense. Not only that, but there is always the possibility of injury and the Chargers are setting themselves up for a bad situation if the team does not add another safety.
Justin Simmons is the most notable name still on the market and he was still productive last season. However, it is unclear if he would be willing to sign with a Chargers team that would make him the third safety on the depth chart.
2. Cornerback
One of the Chargers' biggest needs heading into the 2024 NFL Draft was cornerback and the team addressed that need with two draft picks. However, both of those picks came on day three in the draft in Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still.
While it is easy to talk yourself into both players' potential as a fan, the fact of the matter is that they are day-three cornerbacks who are going to take time to develop. It is not impossible, but the odds of either corner being a hugely impactful player on defense in year one are slim.
As it stands right now, the Chargers' three starting cornerbacks are likely going to be Asante Samuel Jr, Kristian Fulton and Ja'Sir Taylor. Samuel is talented but inconsistent, Fulton was one of the worst corners in the league last season (worse than Michael Davis, even) and Taylor is unproven.
The Chargers would greatly benefit from signing another veteran who could provide depth and play some snaps in case one of these starters inevitably disappoint.
3. Interior defensive line
The Chargers drafted Justin Eboigbe but the team could certainly do more to add depth to the interior defensive line. Like the day three corners, there is a good chance of being a learning curve for Eboigbe in year one, so getting a veteran who can produce would be ideal.
Los Angeles addressed the edge-rushing room by signing Bud Dupree and that may, in turn, add more depth on the interior. Tuli Tuipulotu has shown the ability to play inside and signing Dupree opens the door for him to play more inside in his sophomore season.
However, the Chargers would still benefit from getting a true, traditional nose tackle. As it stands right now, Poona Ford and maybe Otito Ogbonnia are the only true zero techniques that the Chargers have on the roster. One more certainly would not hurt.