With just 3 weeks left until the start of training camp, the Chargers‘ youngest returning players have had the opportunity for a fresh start in 2025.
One of the players who has impressed the most, according to Chargers.com’s Eric Smith, is second-year corner Tarheeb Still.
“The 2024 fifth-round draft pick led the Bolts with four picks a year ago and seems primed for another strong defensive campaign in Year 2,” Smith wrote on June 18.
Still Has ‘Quietly Evolved into a Leader’, According to Khalil Mack
In his article on the final day of the Chargers 2025 offseason program, Smith praised a trio of second-year players. Smith notes that last year’s breakout stars Joe Alt and Ladd McConkey have essentially picked up right where they left off. But, the most important development has come with second-year corner Tarheeb Still.
While McConkey and Alt have focused more on their strength, Still has leveled up in terms of the mental portion of the game. He looks “primed for another strong defensive campaign” mainly due to his evolution as a leader.
Still had already separated himself by visiting The Bolt from Monday through Thursday each week this offseason. But, he credits future Hall-of-Famer Khalil Mack for pushing him even further. After Mack convinced Still to expand his workouts to Fridays, the second-year corner has “embraced the opportunity to spend time with the future Hall of Famer this offseason,” writes Chargers.com’s Omar Navarro.
“On the surface, they were just weight room sessions, but they left an invaluable impact on the young cornerback who continues to progress through his NFL career,” writes Navarro. Those extra training sessions show that Still has taken his workload seriously, leaving him primed for a strong second year.
Analysts, Chargers Coaches Think Still is ‘Primed for Another Strong Campaign’
“Tarheeb has done a great job of maturing,” Chargers defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale said last month. “Overnight it just seems like he’s a different person and he’s doing a great job.”
Clinkscale is a 23-year coaching veteran at the collegiate level who followed Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan to LA in 2024. He specifically praised Still’s maturity and ability to accept coaching and criticism, noting that he’s been even better than last year “because he had success, so he knows that it works.”
Still caught the eye of PFF‘s Jonathon Macri in 2024, as Macri named him as the Chargers’ post-draft breakout candidate last month. The fifth-round rookie earned above-average PFF grades across each of the main categories, finishing as the 30th-ranked corner in the league. The Chargers lacked depth at the position last year, as Still played nearly 800 snaps during the regular season. While he was on the field, Still flashed some ball skills, recording 10 pass deflections and 4 interceptions, including a pick-six during their Week 14 win over the Falcons.
With the addition of two outside corners in free agency – Benjamin St-Juste and Donte Jackson – Macri notes that that should enable Still to play more in the slot this season. Still excelled in that spot last year, as Macri points out that he earned “an 81.7 coverage grade and 81.8 overall grade from the slot compared to a 68.0 coverage grade and 68.9 overall grade lined up wide.”
Chargers 2nd-Year Corner ‘Primed for Another Strong Campaign’ in 2025