Can the Chargers defense maintain quality play despite secondary injuries?

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The depth in the Los Angeles Chargers’ secondary has already been tested through six weeks.

Nine defensive backs have played at least 30 defensive snaps this season. Injuries were the main reason. Safety Alohi Gilman missed a Week 2 win against the Carolina Panthers because of a knee injury. Nickel cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor has been out since Week 4 with a fibula injury. Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury before the Chargers’ Week 6 win against the Denver Broncos.

There was also certainty that Derwin James Jr. was suspended for one game when he missed the Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Despite a rotating lineup in the backcourt, coordinator Jesse Minter has maintained a good defense. This is a testament to his coaching, his staff and his program. According to TruMedia, the Chargers, who face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, rank second in expected points scored per game on defense. Specifically, they rank fourth in EPA per dropback, meaning their pass defense has been able to weather a pretty intense storm so far.

The problem, however, is that the storm isn’t passing; if anything, it is reinforcing.

Further tests await.

Outside cornerback Kristian Fulton suffered a hamstring injury in Denver. He left the game early in the third quarter. This injury is particularly notable since Fulton has battled multiple hamstring injuries in his career. Fulton missed time in each of his final three seasons with the Tennessee Titans due to hamstring injuries, including stints as a reserve player in 2021 and 2023.

Fulton did not practice on Wednesday. During the practice period, which was open to the media, he worked part-time. He also battled a knee injury earlier this season that limited him in practice before the Chiefs game.

Taylor and Samuel were out against the Broncos. Cornerback Deane Leonard was questionable for the game with a hamstring injury. He played only five special teams snaps before leaving the game in the first quarter.

Due to Leonard’s injury, rookie Cam Hart started at outside cornerback in place of Samuel. Fellow freshman Tarheeb Still made his second straight start at nickel in place of Taylor. When Fulton suffered his hamstring injury, Still moved outside to replace him. The Chargers moved James to a full-time position with Elijah Molden at safety alongside Gilman. Second-year defensive back AJ Finley took over the role of sixth defensive back in dime packages.

Hart had a really encouraging game in Denver. He played every defensive snap. He allowed no receptions in coverage and was solid run support with three tackles. The most impressive of all came late in the first quarter when he dropped a block and beat Broncos receiver Troy Franklin with a jet sweep. Franklin had steam and Hart prevented an explosive rush.

Still played well at nickel in the last two games. He obviously has a feel for the position. He had a sack on a blitz against the Chiefs. Against the Broncos, he was in man coverage against receiver Marvin Mims Jr. on a third-and-5 late in the first quarter. Mims beat Still off the line. Still had no help overkill. He showed off his recovery speed when quarterback Bo Nix fired a deep ball to Mims. Still, he came back and broke up the pass, preventing a touchdown.

See you, Rook‼️

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— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 13, 2024

“They were balling,” James said of Hart and Still after the Denver game. “I’m so proud of the boys. I told them, ‘There’s no age limit for this game.'” You can be a newbie and make plays.'”

There are pros and cons to giving young guys playing time early in the season.

Gilman noted the positives after the Denver game.

“It’s good to get that look at the start of the season and have those opportunities with a lot of young guys,” he said. “It just boosts the confidence of the whole unit and I think it’s a good thing for us to learn from.”

Hart and Still were both fifth-round picks in April. Both played at least 50 snaps against the Broncos. Harbaugh, like Gilman, sees the value in rookie defenders playing meaningful snaps in the first third of the season.

“I thought about it and remembered some of the really good teams I had the privilege of being a part of,” Harbaugh said. “The great ones are when a guy steps in — whether he plays that role early in the season or in the middle of the season or later in the season — and he plays great. He becomes the hero or the reason you won the game. That’s a fact.”

The downside is that inexperienced players are more volatile.

Can the Chargers continue to play at this level even though injuries continue?

The pass defense deteriorated after Fulton was eliminated against the Broncos.

Before Fulton’s injury, Nix completed three of 10 passes for 22 yards and one interception.

After Fulton’s injury, Nix went 16 of 23 for 184 yards and two touchdowns.

However, there was no longer the same player on the outside as in the slot.

The Chargers allowed five explosive passes in the second half, more than ever before this season.

Edge rusher Khalil Mack pushed the responsibility to the forefront. Nix managed to escape the bag several times. The two longest bursts — a 29-yard completion to Franklin and a 37-yard completion to receiver Devaughn Vele — came on loose plays where Nix escaped pressure. Nix collected 59 of his 61 scramble yards in the second half.

“He was able to come out and make plays with his legs, so it comes down to us being on the same page,” Mack said. “He lowered his eyes. He didn’t want to throw. He wanted to escape somehow. So just adapt.”

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray enters Week 7 ranked second in Total Scramble EPA, according to TruMedia.

The front line will have an opportunity to better manage a mobile quarterback on Monday night.

With injuries mounting, Still, Hart and the other young defensemen could also see more opportunities.

Harbaugh said, “You can just feel something brewing, and when a guy steps up – the next guy up – and does his best, or sometimes is as good as the starter, that’s when real magic begins.”

(Top photo of Tarheeb still defending Marvin Mims Jr.: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)