Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers working on long-term deal
According to reporting from Tyler Dragon of USA Today Sports Plus, the Los Angeles Chargers and safety Derwin James have begun preliminary discussions on a long-term contract extension. Dragon reported the news on Tuesday:
The Chargers and Derwin James have started preliminary discussions on a long-term extension, according to a source. The thinking is a long-term deal will get done before the start of the regular season. https://t.co/BW74PBOATd
— Tyler Dragon (@TheTylerDragon) June 14, 2022
As noted, James was limited at the start of Chargers’ minicamp due to a surgery performed on his left labrum back in February. James is expected to make a full recovery and be a full participant during training camp. The safety suffered the injury during the Chargers’ Week 3 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. James separated the shoulder in the first half of the game, but continued to play:
Chargers safety Derwin James missed part of the second quarter Sunday in Kansas City because of a shoulder injury.
He returned to the locker room, where, he said, X-rays were taken before he was cleared to come back just before halftime.
On Monday, Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa said James separated his shoulder.
“Derwin is like, ‘Yeah, my shoulder just dislocated,’ acting like it wasn’t anything,” Bosa said. “But his shoulder actually came out of the socket and he just popped it back in and came running right back out on the field.”
James ended up playing 72 of 79 defensive snaps.
There are many reasons why the team would seek a long-term deal with James. Not only is he one of the top players at the position in the NFL, but he is perhaps an ideal fit for Brandon Staley’s defense. James is comfortable, and effective, playing in multiple roles in the secondary, whether as a single-high safety or in a half-field role, in a variety of coverages, and is explosive working downhill against the run.
On this play against the Las Vegas Raiders in the final week of the season, James explodes downhill from depth to create a tackle for a loss when Derek Carr checks the football down to a running back:
On this play against the Denver Broncos, watch how patient James is as he reads out the toss play to his right before exploding into the backfield to chop down Javonte Williams for a loss on the play:
Beyond what he can do working downhill, James can be a mismatch eraser for Staley’s defense. On this play against the Raiders from early in the season, James is matched against Darren Waller, who runs a deep corner route. James stays glued to his hip in perfect position, which leads to the interception:
James’ versatility makes him the ideal modern safety, and a perfect fit in Staley’s defensive concepts. You can expect that to be reflected when the team and player come to an agreement on this anticipated extension.
