Derwin James

Previous reports indicated the team was considering a stint on injured reserve following an aggravation of his hamstring injury, with Saturday’s transaction confirming those suspicions. James will now miss the coming four games, at minimum, as the Chargers look to reverse course on a sinking season.

James reportedly suffered a setback with his hamstring injury, with the team now considering injured reserve. His absence is a big hit to their defense as a primary interior defender against the heavy personnel sets from the Rams, upgrading the matchup for Tyler Higbee and company.

Brutal. This team cannot catch a break. Losing James makes the center of their defense fairly vulnerable. The Chargers’ stalwart safety plays a do-it-all role. If James lands on injured reserve this week, he will be eligible to return for the Chargers’ Week 12 game against the Patriots.

That is back-to-back weeks of no James. Donte Jackson (hamstring) was also ruled out. We’re almost through the Chargers blurbs. We think they should just put some people on injured reserve too. Keep reading.

CB Donte Jackson (hamstring) also did not practice. Neither player played in Week 5 and both will need at least a limited practice before they can be considered questionable for Week 6 against the Chiefs.

Sounds like we should be counting James out for Week 5’s game against the Broncos, and perhaps Week 6 as well. The safety did not play in Week 4’s loss to the Seahawks, leaving Tarheeb Still as the main slot cornerback with 2026 fourth-rounder Genesis Smith seeing an elevated role.

James sandwiched a Thursday absence with two limited sessions. The veteran safety plays through injuries whenever possible, and the Chargers will need all hands on deck to get their season back on track.

James will look to play out the Chargers’ final 15 games of the season with a cast. The Chargers are off to an 0-2 start and will be desperate to turn things around in Week 3 against the 2-0 Bills on the road in Buffalo. The veteran safety has totaled 10 tackles and one pass breakup in the first two games of the season.

James will now be making $25.2 million per year, slightly nudging out the Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton ($25.1 million per year) for highest-paid safety in the league. The deal includes $57.5 million guaranteed. James entered the offseason wanting a new contract before training camp and he gets one coming off back-to-back seasons of Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. He remains a versatile and hard-hitting centerfielder for the Chargers, captaining the defense for seven seasons, making five Pro Bowls in that time. James tied his career-high with three interceptions last seasons and finished with an 81.2 overall PFF grade, good for No. 8 among safeties. He was set to enter the final season of his contract but will now be signed to the Chargers through 2029.

ESPN’s Kris Rhim said earlier this week that James “almost certainly want[s] a new deal before training camp starts” in mid-to-late July. The Chargers’ organized team activities are scheduled to run May 26-27, May 29, June 2-4 and June 8-11. Mandatory minicamp will run from June 16-18. If extensions have not been agreed upon by the time mandatory minicamp rolls around, James and Tuipulotu could choose to hold out. That at least gives us a benchmark to check up on. Stay tuned.

Entering his age-30 season, James has bounced back from early-career injuries and been one of the most dependable and versatile defenders in the NFL over the past four years. He posted an 83.7 PFF coverage grade in 2025 playing in the box, at slot, and even manning the defensive line at times. Rhim adds the usual “it seems likely that a deal will get done,” but the curious part here is: “Whether [Chargers GM Joe] Hortiz is willing to give a 30-year-old James a record deal is one of the biggest questions ahead of this season.” It sure sounds like James could be a potential trade candidate based on that sentence. The Chargers have not exactly been big spenders under Hortiz.

Fanatics’ social media account broke the news, saying James suffered the injury “earlier in the week prior to reporting to the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.” He will be replaced in the lineup by free agent S Harrison Smith, the longtime Viking. We sure would like to know if the injury occurred while training for the flag football tournament, but that part remains unclear. James was set to play for Team Wildcat alongside former and current NFL players, including Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk and Rams WR Davante Adams. We wish all involved good health. Hopefully, we get clarification on James’ injury before long.

According to Pelissero, James will undergo an MRI to confirm, but the hope is the veteran safety has avoided the worst here. James was injured in the first half of Sunday’s win and ruled out in the second-half, but if this injury doesn’t prove to be anything major, it’s possible James will be good to go when the Chargers face the Titans in Week 9.

James injured the ankle during the first half of the contest against Minnesota, and the 29-year-old defender won’t be able to continue. Kendall Williamson and R.J. Mickens will see the snaps for the remainder of Thursday’s game.