Why Chargers Struck a Trade With Seahawks at Final Cuts

The Los Angeles Chargers hit final cuts on Sunday with trade news in stride.

According to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, the Chargers traded cornerback Avery Smith to the Seattle Seahawks for a sixth-round pick in 2027.

Those Chargers approached the final 53-man cutdowns with an abundance of talent at the cornerback spot and made the choice to move a player who probably would have been gone anyway.

Avery, after all, had enjoyed a seriously strong summer and would have been grabbed by another team if the Chargers attempted to keep him through the practice squad or other means.

Chargers-Seahawks Avery Smith trade instant analysis

It’s an embarrassment of riches and only so many final roster spots to go around for the Chargers at cornerback.

That Chargers cornerback depth chart has the following:

Derwin James
Donte Jackson
Cam Hart
Tarheeb Still
Deane Leonard
Nikko Reed
Rodney Shelley
Eric Rogers

Smith, along with Rodney Shelley and Eric Rogers, both pretty clearly earned final roster spots. For the Chargers, trading Smith was a no-brainer way to free up some space and make the final roster crunch a tad easier.

An undraftred free agent out of Toledo, Smith was one of the brighter stars of Chargers training camp and preseason action. Seeing his name attached to pass-breakups and solid coverage was pretty common while he adapted to the NFL against a Mike McDaniel-Justin Herbert offense.

Realistically, the Chargers might have traded the cornerback with the most actual value on the block while making these tough calls. If the Seahawks had the highest offer for Smith, it made the decision easy.

Looking ahead, the Chargers probably keep six cornerbacks on the initial 53-man roster before pulling off some shuffling in the form of injured lists and the practice squad. It could mean going smaller at safety, too, with Derwin James' position something they can manipulate a bit during crunch time like this.

Sign Up For the Chargers Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Los Angeles Chargers Newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google