NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Elijah Molden (22) celebrates one of his team-high three interceptions with teammates. (Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
Star players were injured. They were starting rookies. They had a brand new coaching staff. There are plenty of reasons why the Chargers shouldn’t have a defense that gives up the fewest points in the NFL.
Elijah Molden looks at the unit’s rise a different way.
“Why not us?” he told teammates last month before a game.
Discarded by the Tennessee Titans for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick after training camp, Molden has turned into a key force behind the Chargers’ defensive renaissance. He leads the Chargers (5-3) with a team-high three interceptions, five pass breakups and 32 tackles entering Sunday’s reunion with his former team.
There’s no bad blood about the trade, Molden said. He realizes he wouldn’t be playing if he was still with Tennessee (2-6), where Quandre Diggs and Amani Hooker have a firm grasp on the safety positions. When he arrived in L.A., Molden said he simply wanted an opportunity to play and show the type of player he was.
Now as one of the Chargers’ top-ranked defensive players, has Molden accomplished his goal?
Read more: NFL Week 10 picks: Can Chargers and Rams keep their winning streaks going?
“It’s not over,” Molden said with a smile after he had six tackles and one interception against the Cleveland Browns last week.
Molden made the transition to the Chargers look seamless in August when he joined the team after training camp. He made his debut 11 days after arriving. He was forced into a starting role by Week 2 because of an injury to safety Alohi Gilman. Molden grabbed his first interception in the game.
Although Derwin James Jr. and Gilman were the incumbent safety starters, Molden’s play couldn’t be denied.
“We got three safeties that start for us,” defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale said. “And he’s one of them.”
Drafted in the third round in 2021, Molden began as a nickel for the Titans….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chargers-elijah-molden-leads-former-110011251.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-11-08 11:00:11
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
