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Chargers 2026 Training Camp Preview: How Does Familiar Cornerback Room Help Elevate Chris O'Leary's Defense?

The top three leaders in defensive snaps all return to spearhead a position room with plenty of competition

CBCampPreview

Chargers Training Camp is on the horizon.

The Bolts will hold more than a dozen open practices at The Bolt and will also practice twice at the University of San Diego in early August.

What are the top storylines and position battles to watch later this month?

Chargers.com will take a look at each position group leading up to training camp. The cornerbacks are up next.

Who's on the roster?

Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, Deane Leonard, Nikko Reed, Eric Rogers, Isas Waxter, Avery Smith, Rodney Shelley

Camp Outlook

The Chargers returning cornerback room is vastly similar to what is was a season ago.

And for new Chargers Defensive Coordinator Chris O’Leary, who saw what the Bolts have at the position this offseason, he can't help but get excited about the depth of the group.

"Really good," O'Leary said when asked how he felt about the room. "It's one of those where you come in with a mindset or thought of, 'This is what the room looks like, this is who you got.' Then you put in the work and get to this point it's like holy cow."

He later added: "I think it's a healthy competition… I have high hopes for that room."

The top three leaders in 2025 defensive snaps at the position — Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart — all return to spearhead the group.

Jackson, the player with the most NFL experience of the group, was a ballhawk in his first season with the Bolts by notching four interceptions, which tied for the team lead.

Still and Hart meanwhile, the pair of 2024 fifth-rounders, put together strong second seasons of their own by starting 15 and 16 games, respectively.

The three have set a baseline of what they're capable of and the Chargers defensive playcaller has high hopes for what they can do in 2026.

"D-Jack is a player, he's a baller," O'Leary said. "You look at Tarheeb, Cam, all of these guys they all have their unique skillsets but when they're really utilizing that skillset… getting those guys in those positions to do what they're good at, I'm excited about it."

The cornerbacks that follow the three are also some familiar faces.

The Chargers brought back Deane Leonard in free agency, a player who has served as depth over the first couple of years in his career and remains a special teams ace.

They also return Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers, a pair of training camp standouts from a season ago that look to recreate the noise they made this time last year.

The group is rounded out by Isas Waxter, who spent the majority of the season on the practice squad, and undrafted free agents Avery Smith and Rodney Shelley.

Bringing back the majority of last year's group is something that allows the unit to grow even more, as it is anticipated to be one of the most competitive positions on the roster heading into camp.

"It's a blessing to have the same guys … We're constantly building on what we were just doing," Jackson said. "I think that's the best part, when you have guys like Heeb, like Cam who are also leaders.

"It's a trickle down effect from what they're seeing at the top and what's coming down these levels and that's really what it's about," he added. "When I say levels, I'm talking about tenure and age gap and stuff. You see what the older guys are doing, it's all the right way, all the right things. It's going to have everybody going in the same direction for sure."

Get your first look at the Chargers in uniform for the 2026 season!

Player to Watch: Tarheeb Still

Now entering Year 3, the Still has been nothing short of a steal after being a fifth-round pick in 2024.

The 24-year-old has become a mainstay of the Chargers secondary, racking up 115 tackles, four interceptions, 17 passes defensed and six tackles for loss in 29 games over his first two seasons.

Those four interceptions, however, all came in his rookie season, but it's something Still is not too concerned about.

"Not really," Still said after the 2025 season when asked if he thinks about not getting an interception. "I mean, it's something I think about like, 'Damn, I want to pick the ball off.' But if you're playing good defense, you're where you're supposed to be and making the plays you're supposed to make, you can't force plays like that.

"I wasn't really trying to force a pick," Still added. "As long as we are winning, I was doing my thing on defense and helping the team win, I couldn't care less about a pick."

Even without the interception, Still showed great strides in his second season that makes him an even more exciting player for the Chargers defense heading into this year.

The cornerback made a jump in his tackling ability, totaling 5.0 tackles for loss after just one as a rookie, 15 defensive stops after 11 in 2024 and fewer missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.

Not to mention, his coverage also took a leap in major areas as he allowed just one touchdown in coverage, fewer yards allowed per coverage target and limited the big play, slashing the percentage of plays 15 yards or more by over half from 3.1 percent as a rookie to 1.4 in Year 2.

O'Leary said earlier in the offseason he's noticed a major change from Still heading into his third NFL season, and another jump in play could further help the unit in 2026.

"[In the] meeting room, Tarheeb is asking serious questions, he's engaged, but there's a level to him that's not so up and down," O'Leary said. "You just see it and hear it in the way he approaches meetings."

Key Question: Which young cornerback emerges in the group?

It's been a common theme since Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh arrived — a young cornerback puts on a strong showing in training camp or preseason and plays a role once at some point during the season.

Who could that be in 2026?

Jackson, Still, Hart and Leonard have all shown they're capable of playing at a high level at various points throughout their time in powder blue.

However as history has shown, there could come a time when adversity strikes, and depth plays a crucial role.

Enter Reed and Rogers, who fit the criteria just a year ago.

Reed showcased a great preseason and training camp in 2025, where he racked up four passes defensed and an interception in three games, to make the initial 53-man roster and stay there the whole season.

He played in five games during the regular season, including the middle of the year where he was asked to step in due to injury.

Similarly, Rogers' strong performances in the first two preseason games last season also puts him on the radar heading into this training camp.

The Rutgers product recorded a forced fumble and a pass defensed in the Hall of Fame Game a year ago.

He then followed it up with a two-interception performance the following week, one of which went the other way for six, before suffering an injured that landed him on Injured Reserve for the entire season.

There's plenty of competition inside the room, including Waxter, Smith and Shelley, who will all see their fair share of opportunities.

One thing for sure — that competitive nature seems to elevate everyone around them, and it will be interesting to watch who can stand out the most from the group.

"When I first got here, I sensed the hungriness out of Heeb and Cam," Jackson said. "Those guys are getting older and now you have Nikko, you got Eric.

"You got Isas underneath who saw the hunger in Heeb and Cam from last year and how they came into their second year," Jackson added. "It just kind of trickles down."

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