Los Angeles Chargers: 5 burning questions on defense

2. How much will the departure of Safety Adrian Phillips hurt?

Versatility is one thing that you can never have enough of in the NFL. The Chargers biggest task this offseason was going to be figuring out a way to retain Safety Adrian Phillips, an undrafted free agent who the team signed back in 2014.

While Phillips had a rocky first few years with the Chargers, he really burst onto the scene in 2018 with 94 tackles, one interception, and four tackles for loss in seven starts. The reality is that while some of these numbers may not appear to be elite, it was enough to earn Phillips a First Team All-Pro selection.

This offseason, Phillips signed with the New England Patriots, something that will have an impact on the secondary. It’s a crucial loss for the Chargers, who appeared to be figuring out how to best utilize Phillips. It is fair to wonder what Phillips would have done in 2019 had he not broken his arm earlier in the season, especially since he was slated to be the starting safety next to 2018 first-round pick Derwin James.

Overall, while the Chargers appear to have the talent on the roster to move on without Phillips, it’s fair to question whether his departure will truly hurt, especially since he’s now with a team that will utilize him like a swiss army knife.