Chargers' CB final roster battle gets a surprise name making a push

The Los Angeles Chargers weren't big spenders during free agency but still made some impactful signings. One of them being veteran cornerback Donte Jackson to a two-year, $13 million deal to be their CB1 alongside last year's standout Cam Hart.

There was one more veteran the Chargers brought in to the secondary this offseason, that being Benjamin St-Juste. The former third-round pick of the Washington Commanders had a rough ending to his tenure there, as he allowed 700+ yards in coverage each of the last two seasons and six touchdowns.

The Bolts brought St-Juste in on a one-year deal, hoping he could be a low risk, high reward type of signing. Not much buzz had been heard about him since the start of training camp, mostly due to injury, but St-Juste ran with the first-team defense according to Daniel Popper of the Athletic.

"The cornerback battle had seemed like a three-man race through the early stages of camp, with Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart and Donte Jackson earning a majority of the first-team reps. Late last week, that changed, as Benjamin St-Juste started rotating in at outside cornerback with the first team. He continued to get reps with the first-team defense Tuesday."

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter went on to say of St-Juste, “Ben is on a really good trajectory. I love how he plays, love his competitiveness.”

One stat that stands out from St-Juste's time in Washington is that he had 17 passes defended in 2023. If he can get his hands on the ball when it's thrown his way, the Chargers could have snagged a potential steal in free agency. They've seen some luck in the cornerback room with the UDFA signings of Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers.

Maybe St-Juste can be the next feel-good story for the Chargers' secondary.