Stephon Gilmore's free-agency plan should put him on LA Chargers' radar

NFL insider Josina Anderson provided an update on the free agency of veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore yesterday. Gilmore is reportedly willing to wait for the right opportunity with two months to go until the 2024 regular season. These comments should entice LA Chargers fans given the current status of the cornerback room.

Gilmore played his last two seasons with the Cowboys and the Colts. He played roughly 1,000 snaps in both campaigns at the ages of 32 and 33. While the proverbial cliff comes for most corners at 30, Gilmore is still playing at a really high level. The former All-Pro had nine pass breakups and two interceptions while allowing an 83.3 passer rating.

Why Stephon Gilmore would be a perfect fit for the Chargers

The Chargers are on track to start Kristian Fulton and Asante Samuel Jr. on the outside in Week 1 this season. It goes without saying that Gilmore could very conceivably start over either of them with his track record in the league. He had better PFF coverage numbers than Fulton last season while boasting similar numbers to Samuel in that regard.

Where Gilmore really shows better than anyone in the Chargers' cornerback room currently is run defense. Gilmore had a missed tackle rate of just 6.8% in 2023 and tied a single-season career high with 15 run stops. Fulton and Samuel Jr.'s missed tackle rates both were over 17+% last season. Simply put, the DB room could stand to be a little more fleshed out against the run right now.

Los Angeles frankly doesn't have a lot of depth right now at cornerback. While they hope Ben Herbert can work his magic with Fulton, the former Titans corner has had his fair share of injuries over the years. Deane Leonard or a rookie Cam Hart would be next up to start if there was an injury to one of the Chargers' outside corners right now.

Unlike other moves the Chargers could make where they'd have to trade for or sign players seeking multi-year deals, Gilmore understands that his career is a year-to-year proposition at his age. Giving him a slightly more pricey one-year deal wouldn't affect the cap next year.

By this time next season, perhaps some of the Chargers' younger depth will have developed more to the point where they could move on from the veteran corner. A similar situation played out in Dallas this year.

Signing Gilmore would make the Chargers instantly more competitive without being a costly all in type of move. With a cornerback room that looks shaky heading into 2024, he truly could move the needle in LA.

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