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COSTA MESA, Calif. -- After missing most of last season due to a second surgery needed to alleviate pain in his left knee, Pro Bowl cornerback Jason Verrett expect to return to the field in 2018 for the Los Angeles Chargers, creating a logjam at the cornerback position. However, the presence of four starting-caliber corners is a good problem to have, according to general manager Tom Telesco.  “You have to be able to cover in this league,” Telesco said while talking with the reporters at the NFL scouting combine. “The more corners, the better. You can never have enough of them.”
Telesco’s Chargers agreed to terms on a three-year, $36 million contract extension with top corner Casey Hayward on Sunday. Trevor Williams played well opposite Hayward in his first year as an NFL starter last season in place of an injured Verrett. Desmond King, a fifth-round selection in last year’s draft, was solid as the team’s nickel cornerback, finishing with four sacks, 76 tackles and an interception returned 90 yards for a touchdown. King’s four sacks ties him with Rodney Harrison (1997 and 1998) for the second-most sacks by a defensive back in a single season in team history. The Chargers’ depth at corner was one of the reasons they were not part of the Richard Sherman sweepstakes. The talented cornerback signing a deal to stay in the NFC West and play for the San Francisco 49ers. Slated to return from knee surgery that kept him off the field last year, Verrett will make $8.5 million in the final year of his rookie contract in 2018. A former Pro Bowler, the Chargers will find a place on the field for the TCU product if he’s healthy in 2018, which means Williams or King could be the odd man out come September. But with teams throwing nearly 70 percent of the time in the NFL and players getting injured every year, Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn believes he can find enough playing time for all for corners in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s versatile scheme. “I feel about corners like running backs -- you can never have enough of those, too,” Lynn said. “Having Jason back, that’s going to be huge. “If he’s back healthy and in the lineup, we can do a lot of different things. We can move Trevor inside into the slot. We can have Desmond in the box. There are just so many things we can do with three corners.” The return of Verrett should bolster the Chargers’ pass defense, which is already one of the best in the NFL. In he past two years, the Chargers allowed an average of just 223 passing yards a contest. The Bolts’ 38 passing touchdowns allowed since 2016 is fifth-best in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, the Chargers’ secondary led the league in interceptions and pass breakups combined with 58.
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