The Los Angeles Chargers have continued to win despite multiple injuries on both sides of the ball. One of the bitter pills of the last few games is the continued turnover in the secondary. They lost cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. early in the season and cornerbacks Eli Apple and Alohi Gilman hit injured reserve in early December. The latest injury involves Elijah Molden, who missed Thursday night’s win against the Denver Broncos with a knee injury.

These injuries left the Chargers relying heavily on veteran Tony Jefferson and a patchwork of other defensive backs to cover the back end – a side effect of which was that defensive Swiss Army Knife Derwin James played a limited role. James was forced to play free safety rather than slot corner, where he has spent much of his playing time this season.

Chargers make you safer, Eddie Jackson

In response, the Chargers added former All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson, who most recently played with the Baltimore Ravens. After playing a significant number of snaps, Jackson was released by the Ravens in late November. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. In 2018, he was named to the first team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl. He was released by the Bears after the 2023 season.

With his addition, the Chargers now only have Jefferson and Marcus Maye on the active roster at safety, while Kendall Williamson (who played the first snaps of his career against the Broncos) and Emany Johnson are on the practice squad. Cam Hart also missed the Broncos game due to a concussion.

The Chargers have not provided an update on the injury status of Molden, who has been a standout player and earned a starting role early in the season. Whether or not his injury is more serious than missing a single game, reinforcements were needed at the position.