The Los Angeles Chargers are in the middle of OTA's at the moment. Los Angeles has experienced wholesale changes on the offensive side of the ball after moving on from offensive coordinator Greg Roman and signing former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. McDaniel is bringing with him a new system and the roster had to be overhauled to match the new offense.
The offense may be receiving the lion's share of attention this off-season thus far, but the defense underwent some changes as well. The defense, unlike the offense, did not lose many rostered players from 2025. Former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter did get hired as the new head coach of the Baltimore Ravens , therefore the Chargers sought his replacement in one of Minter's proteges in new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary.
O'Leary was the Chargers safeties coach in 2024 before heading to Western Michigan to take his first defensive coordinator role at any level in 2025. Many of the defensive players have hinted that the Chargers defense will have similarities under O'Leary in terms of the system but O'Leary will add his own flavor. O'Leary has promised to focus on elevating and evolving the defense .
The structure of the defense is expected to stay the same under O'Leary but the Chargers roster will be heading in to 2026 without one of the unsung main contributors from 2025. Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste parlayed a one year $2.5 million deal with the Chargers into a two year $10 million deal with the Green Bay Packers .
Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Benjamin St-Juste tackles Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Chargers used a heavy rotation at cornerback last season under Jesse Minter. Benjamin St-Juste played slightly less than 50 percent of the snaps that top snaps earner Tarheeb Still played, 378 to 832 snaps, but St-Juste was firmly in a rotation as a top four cornerback on the roster.
Not only was St-Juste active in the cornerback rotation in Los Angeles , according to Pro Football Focus grades, St-Juste was the best cornerback in every category . Not only did St-Juste top out in every grade from total defense, run defense, tackling and coverage grade on the Chargers, he was the 12th graded cornerback in total defense in the NFL, ahead of Trent McDuffie .
St-Juste had a smaller sample size in comparison to the top snap earners in the NFL but that does not negate the fact that he performed very well in a major role in the Chargers secondary. The Chargers responded to St-Juste's departure by doing absolutely nothing. Do they have an in-house plan? Is general manager Joe Hortiz keeping his eyes on the cut market doing OTAs to bolster the room?
Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Nikko Reed recovers a fumble by the San Francisco 49ers in 2025 pre-season game. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
The Chargers were actively looking to add a cornerback to the roster during the draft but the board did not fall their way, general manager Joe Hortiz admitted after the draft . Los Angeles does have internal options such as veteran and special teams ace Deane Leonard as well as second-year players Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers . They also signed several undrafted free agents who will have a shot in training camp with most eyes on Avery Smith out of Toledo.
The other option would be to keep a sharp eye on the cut candidates such as old friend Kristian Fulton who will undoubtedly be on the chopping block in Kansas City . Hortiz could opt for a move similar to bringing in Elijah Molden via trade in 2024 and let camp battles play out and make a move if necessary before the season starts.
The Chargers are working through OTAs with a glaring but underdiscussed weakness on the back end of their defense. How the hole is addresse will be worth watching going forward.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as The Biggest Chargers Weakness That Still Hasn't Been Addressed at OTAs .
