With rookies Deane Leonard, Ja’Sir Taylor, and JT Woods having solid camps this offseason, it’s been easy to forget about some of the other young players in the Chargers secondary. On Friday, 2021 seventh-rounder Mark Webb made sure fans headed into the weekend with him on their minds.
Webb worked with the first team defense as the money backer on Friday, a reserved role for Derwin James, who continues to sit out while the team negotiates a contract extension. Brandon Staley also said post-practice that Webb is training at both traditional safety and star (nickel corner) in addition to his money (hybrid linebacker-safety) responsibilities.
A player the coaching staff has consistently mentioned as someone they’re high on, Webb’s training camp resurgence is a positive sign after missing nine games due to a knee injury in 2021. Staley praised the second-year pro’s football intelligence in his media availability, an evident trait considering Webb’s interception and numerous instances of tight coverage in the team period.
Staley pointed out that Webb likely would have played a lot of football for the Chargers later in the season in 2021 had he not been injured. Moving up to the first team defense, albeit in name only with James on the bench, is a good sign that he’ll be playing much more in 2022. However, Webb will have to carry this momentum through to next week, when pads come on. When asked, Staley singled out his need to improve in that area.
Carrying his early performance through the tackling portions of camp while working at three different positions could result in a breakout season for Webb. It’s also a blessing of an insurance policy if a starter goes down, as was the case far too often a season ago.