ESPN reveals ‘daring’ offseason move for Chargers
The Chargers will be looking to add more talent in the cornerbacks room this offseason.
Scott Spratt of Football Outsiders has a way for Los Angeles to do so.
Football Outsiders recently offered a daring move for each NFL team to make this offseason, and Spratt believes L.A. should add cornerback Patrick Peterson.
He wrote that giving head coach Brandon Staley a cornerback who can move around and cover anyone the way Peterson can could help put the Chargers’ defense over the top.
Whether the Chargers choose to re-sign Michael Davis should have no bearing on also trying to bring in Patrick Peterson. Defenses around the league have embraced building from the secondary, and signing Peterson could give the Chargers a strong trio of cornerbacks to work with if they choose to keep Davis. Peterson, though not coming off his best season, can handle the outside and shadow any wide receiver, while Casey Hayward could kick back inside to the nickel position.
If Davis is allowed to walk, Peterson and Hayward would still give the Chargers a great one-two punch on the outside. Peterson brings an element of speed that Davis, while still capable, did not possess and could be quite valuable in keeping up with the many speedy wide receivers in the AFC West.
Peterson, 30, has been a key piece of the Cardinals’ defense ever since he was drafted in the first round back in 2011. However, he heads into the offseason as a free agent and it’s possible he leaves the Valley of the Sun for the first time in his career.
Peterson has been selected to the Pro Bowl eight times and has been named a First Team All-Pro
He has started all 16 games every year since entering the league with the exception of 2019, when he was suspended for the first six games after violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Despite posting three interceptions, Peterson is coming off one of his worst seasons yet. He ranked 83rd out of 121 in Pro Football Focus’ cornerback rankings. He posted his worst coverage grade since his rookie year (53.1) and led the league in with 12 penalties.
On paper, adding Peterson sounds intriguing, given his impressive resume. However, I believe Los Angeles will only look to free agency to add a corner is if they cut Casey Hayward or Chris Harris Jr. to clear up some cap space, which I don’t see happening.
Instead, using one of their draft picks in the first three rounds to add a young piece to pair with Michael Davis (assuming the team re-signs him) is the more likely scenario.
