Chargers 90-in-90: CB Brandon Facyson

Cornerback Brandon Facyson is one of three former undrafted defensive backs to make the team’s initial 53-man roster in the last three years. He made the final cut prior to the 2018 NFL season, sandwiched between cornerback Michael Davis in 2017 and strong safety Roderic Teamer in 2019.

But before he made his NFL dream a reality, Facyson first made a name for himself as a prep for Northgate High School in his hometown of Newnan, Georgia. As a junior, he was a key two-way player, recording 294 receiving yards and four scores on offense and 47 tackles with three interceptions on defense.

As a senior, Facyson led his team in receiving with 31 catches for 439 yards and another four touchdowns. He ended his final prep season with just 21 tackles, six pass breakups, and a forced fumble. His postseason accolades included a selection to the All-Region team at cornerback and a spot on the Newnan-Times Herald All-County Team as a wide receiver. Facyson left Northgate High as the country’s 26th-ranked corner by ESPN and accepted a scholarship to play at Virginia Tech.

After enrolling in the 2012 spring semester, Facyson got the chance to participate in the team’s spring ball practices. That helped set him up for his phenomenal true freshman season where he tallied five interception and eight pass breakups in nine starts en route to being named a Third-Team All-ACC selection and a Freshman All-American.

Facyson began the 2014 season with three-straight starts but ended up breaking his leg in the third contest. He luckily received a medical hardship waiver and regained another year of eligibility with the Hokies.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2015, Facyson started 10 of 12 games and finished with 27 tackles, one going for a loss, and a career-high 11 pass breakups. He followed that season up with his most all-around disruptive campaign in which he totaled 48 total tackles, four for a loss, 11 pass breakups, and a pair of forced fumbles while starting all 14 games.

Facyson’s senior season for the Hokies saw him start 11 of the team’s 13 total games. He recorded 19 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and five pass breakups. In his career, he started 47 total games while playing in 55 total while at VaTech.

As a rookie with the Chargers, Facyson saw all his snaps on special teams where he recorded four tackles and recovered a fumble. He then saw his first four NFL starts in 2019 while playing in all 16 games. He finished with a career-high 39 tackles and a single pass breakup.

Basic Info

Height: 6’2
Weight: 197
College: Virginia Tech
Experience: 2
Years with team: 2

Contract Status

“Brandon Facyson signed a 3 year, $1,720,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including a $10,000 signing bonus, $10,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $573,333. In 2020, Facyson will earn a base salary of $750,000, while carrying a cap hit of $753,334 and a dead cap value of $3,334.” - Spotrac.com

The Good

Facyson showed enough promise as a former undrafted free agent to make the team back in 2018. His height and weight combination is exactly what Gus Bradley looks for in developmental corners and he’s proven he has the ability to hold up when injuries show their head. In his four starts, Facyson exhibited his sticky tackling ability while finishing with 8 or more stops in three of those games.

Facyson is the type of player the Chargers will try to hold on to following the 2020 season, especially if the team is unable to re-sign Desmond King and they’re forced to try and draft another body in 2021. He is a sure-tackler and was third in the ACC as a senior in tackling efficiency, per Pro Football Focus. He’s able to use his size to re-route smaller receivers while being able to bring down larger ball-carriers.

The Bad

I think the Chargers liked Facyson so much as a UDFA because he fit their zone-heavy scheme coming out of Virginia Tech. On one too many occasions he got beat when in man coverage and those shortcomings have been able to be mitigated by making sure he’s in a position to succeed by taking advantage of his length in zones.

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2020?

Facyson is probably going to be the final cornerback kept when the Chargers make their final cuts. With the addition of Chris Harris Jr. in free agency, he’s been dropped down one more rung on the depth chart and the Chargers do not need a ton of corners when they’ve also got guys like Desmond King and Derwin James who can play a variety of spots in the secondary. Without an injury or two happening in front of him, expect to see Facyson to play mainly special teams like he did as a rookie in 2018.