Los Angeles Chargers General Manager, Joe Hortiz has done an incredible job since his arrival with the team. Whether it was drafting steals on day three, finding valuable free agents, or trades that made too much sense, he has done everything he can to improve this roster. The work ethic Hortiz brings to the front office is much different from the general manager of the previous regime, and the Chargers strong record shows that. Right before the season began, Hortiz decided to give the Tennessee Titans a call. Both teams mutually agreed on a trade for Elijah Molden; The Chargers unsung hero of 2024.
Elijah Molden would’ve never been a Charger if Tom Telesco was still GM, btw.
— Jason Reed (@EatYourReedies) September 15, 2024
Elijah Molden’s Impact in 2024
Leading up to The Season: Learning on The Fly
Coming out of Washington, Elijah Molden was selected 100th overall in the third round by the Tenessee Titans in the 2021 draft. After a few promising seasons, on August 28th, 2024, he found himself traded to the Chargers.
Usually, when a player is traded there is an “adjustment period” wherein the player is able to learn the locker room, playbook, coaching staff, city, and plenty of other factors we do not see in the media. Molden’s adjustment period was as fast as his week 6 interception on Bo Nix.
Elijah Molden – Tested Early and Passed With Flying Colors
Just over a week later was the Chargers first game of 2024. Molden did not see the small window as an insurmountable challenge, he saw it as a blessing. In an interview with Chargers.com, he was quoted saying:
“I think right from the jump, my first impressions were Coach [Jim] Harbaugh was talking to me on the phone when I got traded and he was like, ‘Man, this is football heaven.’ It feels like that, people here love football. There’s a great energy around the building. Energy, aura, I feel like I’m grateful to be here.”
Week 1: Las Vegas Raiders
This led to his play on the field. In week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders logged more snaps on the field than days he was on the team, with 19 total defensive snaps. The defensive back recorded an 82.9 PFF defensive grade, giving up no catches on no targets during his 15 coverage snaps.
The very next week he was trusted to start alongside Derwin James, as the other starting safety, Alohi Gilman was out with injury.
Week 2: Carolina Panthers
The former Washington Husky did more than just step up in the starting role. He impressed and arguably was the best defender on the field that day. Against the Carolina Panthers, he earned a 92.5 defensive grade, coupled with his three run stops, five tackles and an interception.
On said interception, in the interview mentioned before, the defensive back recited “It felt so good. It’s funny because my last couple of picks, I’ve called it the drive before. I did it in Tennessee, it was a pick-six though. Then this one I told Asante [Samuel, Jr.], ‘When I get this pick, meet me in the end zone.’ And then five, 10 minutes later it happened. It was just a formation they gave us and we were practicing it all week. The first two seconds of the play, as soon as I saw something I pulled my trigger and ended up being a good play.”
Furthermore, he only gave up two catches on three targets for 14 yards. A shutdown day for the player that Hortiz practically robbed the Titans for. The Chargers unsung hero only cost them a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Joe Hortiz traded a 2026 7th-round pick for DB Elijah Molden.
He’s making the Titans look like fools so far. If you want to feel something, go watch the last play of this cutup
pic.twitter.com/8e2db0f4XA
— Tyler Schoon (@tylerjschoon) September 17, 2024
Week 3-Present: Steelers, Chiefs, and Broncos
With Gilman coming back from injury, Molden was back to his third safety spot, still playing a major role on defense. His 32 snaps in week 3 was his worst performance of the season, which did not help the Chargers in their eventual loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Moving to the Kansas City Chiefs game, the Chargers unsung hero of 2024 was asked to start in place of Derwin James, due to his suspension for an illegal hit. The versatile Molden filled in once again with ease, now playing all three safety spots, whether that was free, strong, or box, he could do it all. His six tackles, two stops, and only 23 yards given up was another strong start on Molden’s belt.
The Chargers had their bye week in week 5, allowing for fans to think about: “where would the Chargers be without the addition of Elijah Molden?” Previous Chargers teams would just let undrafted rookies or low-level veteran backups start in place of injured starters and let the defense falter due to a lack of talented players.
Finally, moving to the week 6 matchup against the Broncos, James was back in the starting lineup next to Gilman, allowing Molden to go back to his third safety role. Still playing 39 snaps, he once again was a playmaker recording an interception on Bo Nix, on Molden’s very first play of the game. His performance logged him another impressive PFF grade of 76.1.
Elijah Molden 2nd INT of the season.
— ًBoltUpYo (@BoltUpYo) October 13, 2024
What to Expect For The Rest of 2024
We can assume that Elijah Molden is fully acclimated to at least the football side of things. He is making plays, filling in with ease for either safety and is able to perform at a high level with any task given to him.
Going into week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals, Molden may find himself on the field as much as he was when he was a starter. The Cardinals run a very receiver-heavy offense, which is spearheaded by the scrambling threat, Kyler Murray.
Beyond the Cardinals, Molden will continue to be that third safety for the Bolts. A versatile chess piece in the Jesse Minter-led defense, he will be a very key defender in this second half of the Chargers 2024 season. A key defender who is not getting as much credit as he should, meet the Chargers 2024 unsung hero; Elijah Molden.
Main Image: Jim Dedmon – USA Today Sports
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