With starting safety Alohi Gilman doubtful because of a knee injury, the Chargers’ Elijah Molden could have a larger role Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. It’s exactly the moment for which the fourth-year defensive back has been waiting.
“I feel like right now I’m playing my best football,” said Molden, who joined the Chargers in a trade 10 days before the season opener. “The coaching staff here and my teammates are really empowering me and making me feel confident, and in terms of how I feel, my body and my mind, I feel like this is the best I’ve felt since I’ve been in the NFL.”
The former Washington Huskies star is coming off a career-best 73 tackles with the Tennessee Titans. It was a successful return from a groin injury that limited him to two games in 2022 after being drafted in the third round in 2021.
Looking for a versatile piece in the secondary, the Chargers sent a seventh-round pick to the Titans for the 5-foot-10 defensive back who started his pro career as a slot corner before shifting to safety last year. While still learning the defense, Molden played 19 snaps against Las Vegas, according to Pro Football Focus, and finished with one tackle.
“Just a true pro from the minute he got here,” coach Jim Harbaugh said.
Molden, whose father, Alex, played cornerback for eight years in the NFL, started settling into the defense within days, Harbaugh said. The scheme is similar to what Molden was running with Tennessee, but making the transition is more complicated than just translating the language or memorizing plays. Players also have to grasp how each system treats each coverage because the same concept can look different depending on the coach, who could ask safeties to play more aggressively on one route or lay off another.
Harbaugh said Molden has “made it look easy.”
“Being newer, I know if I play with good effort and I play physical, those are the things I control, and the rest I’m going to get coached up,” Molden said. “Day after day, I feel more comfortable with the plays and guys on the back end are really helping me out, but now I’m getting to a point where I feel confident in knowing what I’m supposed to do and just playing fast.”
Molden credited safety Derwin James Jr. as one of the teammates who has helped him most. The three-time All-Pro was the first to reach out to Molden after the trade.
“There’s a reason why he’s the player he is and the leader he is,” Molden said.
Despite being the defense’s newest addition, Molden was one of 17 players who took at least 16 snaps Sunday. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter hopes the rotation will grow to 18 or 19. It’s rare that a team would stretch its depth that far, James said, but that’s what makes this defense dangerous.
“We have a lot of ballers that can play,” the three-time Pro Bowl selection said. “While the other guy giving it his all, everything he got, if you need a break, next guy come in, he give it everything he got.”
The Chargers could need their depth to overcome early injury concerns, with star edge rusher Joey Bosa listed as questionable because of a back injury that kept him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday. Cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula) also is questionable, potentially further limiting the secondary that could be without Gilman.
