4 moves Los Angeles Chargers need to make to keep up with AFC West
By Randy Gurzi
Los Angeles Chargers move No. 1: Find a lockdown cornerback
The Los Angeles Chargers are about to face some of the more stacked offenses in the NFL in the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. Not only will they be dealing with Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson but both teams have several weapons to contend with in the passing game.
In Denver, there’s Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and K.J. Hamler. For Kansas City, there’s Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Mecole Hardman who can all light up the scoreboard. Looking at those players, it’s obvious that Los Angeles needs to reload their secondary.
As it stands now, Chris Harris is set for free agency and the Bolts could look to upgrade. One option that could be a huge move for them would be to go all-in on J.C. Jackson of the New England Patriots. Jackson is a ball hawk with 25 picks in four seasons — 17 of which came in the past two years.
Jackson would be a huge investment and they would also have to lock him up long-term. However, if they wanted to go for someone who can shut down a No. 1 receiver but won’t need as long of a commitment, they could target Stephon Gilmore. A 10-year veteran, Gilmore played in Carolina last season and still proved to be a solid coverage cornerback. He will also cost a lot but they could land him on a shorter deal, taking advantage of Justin Herbert being on an affordable deal for a couple more years.
A third option is Carlton Davis who fits well in Brandon Staley’s defense but likely wouldn’t make as huge of an impact as either Jackson or Gilmore.
Whatever they decide, the Chargers have to improve their secondary to keep up in the stacked AFC West.