Chargers were smart to extend this underappreciated defensive standout

After being obtained via trade prior to the 2024 season, Elijah Molden hasn’t just been a solid contributor, he’s been one of the best defenders on the entire Chargers team.

NFL.com’s Tom Blair recently went about picking one underappreciated player from all 32 franchises. This is always one of the usual offseason evergreen articles we see every year, but it never quite gets old as everyone loves to read about players from their favorite team and this topic usually centers around someone that likely hasn’t been in the spotlight all that much.

So according to Blair, it’s 2024 breakout defender Elijah Molden whom he makes the case for as the most underappreciated player on the Chargers. Molden was traded for from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a late-round pick before becoming one of the most impactful playmakers on the team, producing three interceptions, seven pass breakups, and 75 total tackles, all of which were career highs.

Here’s what Blair had to say about the fifth-year safety:

“After a fitfully productive, injury-marred start to his career in Tennessee, Molden was traded to the Chargers last year and flourished under coordinator Jesse Minter, starting 12 games and logging three picks, seven passes defensed and 75 tackles, all personal highs, before landing on injured reserve with a broken fibula. The former cornerback’s switch to safety paid off: He ranked sixth in the NFL at the position in EPA when targeted (-12.3), per NGS, and fit in well with Derwin James and Alohi Gilman. There is something satisfying when a change of scenery really clicks for a player, with a new coaching approach or better surrounding circumstances unlocking an underlying talent or ability to contribute, and that certainly seems to be what happened with Molden, who signed a new three-year pact with the Bolts this offseason.”

Molden was so impactful for the Chargers that the front office did not hesitate signing him to that three-year extension despite his season being cut short to serious injury. In fact, they loved the group they had in that room so much that they made sure to bring both Molden and veteran Tony Jefferson back for another go-round.

In the end, it shouldn’t have been all that much of a surprise. You never should try and fix what isn’t broken and the Chargers showed that by keeping the core together on the back end of the secondary.