Chargers' Derwin James: Logs full practice Thursday
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James (ankle) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.
James sustained a low ankle sprain in Week 8 against the Vikings, but he is trending toward being available against the Titans on Sunday after practicing in full Thursday. The veteran safety will continue to start at safety alongside Elijah Molden, barring a setback.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Downgraded to out
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James (ankle) has been ruled out for the rest of Thursday night's game against the Vikings.
The safety exited in the first quarter after suffering the injury. James played on every defensive snap across the first seven weeks of the season. The four-time All-Pro was replaced by Tony Jefferson on Thursday, who then went out with a hamstring issue, leaving RJ Mickens and Kendall Williamson as the Chargers' only remaining safeties besides Elijah Molden.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Seven tackles in loss
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James recorded seven total tackles (three solo) in Sunday's 38-24 loss to the Colts.
James remained rather busy in Week 7, compiling at least seven tackles for the fifth time in seven games this season. The safety has now registered 49 total tackles (28 solo), including 1.5 sacks, while also adding three passes defensed --one of which was an interception -- this year.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Upgrades to full practice Thursday
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James (wrist) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
James sustained a wrist injury during the Chargers' Week 6 win over the Dolphins, though X-rays came back negative. He opened the week as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, so his ability to work without restrictions Thursday indicates that he is on track to play against the Colts on Sunday. James has 42 tackles (25 solo) and three pass defenses (one interception) through the first six games of the regular season.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Able to log limited practice
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James (wrist) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
James got X-rays on his wrist after he hurt it in Week 6 at Miami, but they came back negative, and it looks like he avoided a significant injury. If he can upgrade to full participation at practice Thursday or Friday, there's a good chance he could avoid carrying any injury designation into the weekend.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Nursing wrist injury
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James underwent X-rays on his wrist following the Chargers' 29-27 win over the Dolphins on Sunday, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.
The good news for the veteran safety is that the results came back negative. James is by no means in the clear when it comes to playing Sunday against the Colts, so his practice participation over the coming week will shed light on his chances of suiting up. Tony Jefferson and rookie sixth-rounder RJ Mickens would be candidates to start at safety alongside Elijah Molden if James is not given the green light to play.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Seals win with INT against Miami
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James notched five tackles (one solo) and an interception Sunday in a 29-27 win over the Dolphins.
James' pickoff came on the final play of the game when Tua Tagovailoa attempted to complete a desperation pass. The interception was James' first of the season. The veteran safety has now recorded at least one pickoff in five consecutive campaigns.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Limited on Wednesday
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James (hip) was limited in Wednesday's practice.
It's a new injury for James, who hasn't been listed on the injury report yet this season. He hasn't missed a single defensive snap through four games and has produced 34 tackles (22 solo), including 1.5 sacks and five TFLs, four QB hits and two pass breakups.
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Chargers' Derwin James: All over field in Week 3 win
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James logged 12 tackles (10 solo), including 1.0 sacks, during the Chargers' 23-20 win over the Broncos on Sunday.
No other Chargers defender had more than four tackles in Sunday's win, and James was tied with Alex Singleton for the most tackles in the game. Four of James' 12 tackles went for a loss, including a six-yard sack on Bo Nix midway through the second quarter, which led to a Broncos punt three plays later. James is up to 26 total tackles through three regular-season games, which is tied with Kamren Curl and Tre'von Moehrig for second most among safeties behind Talanoa Hufanga (27). Up next for James and the Chargers is a Week 4 road clash against the Giants on Sunday.
James recorded seven tackles (four solo) in the Chargers' win over the Raiders on Monday.
James finished third on the team in tackles behind both Daiyan Henley and Tarheeb Still in Monday's blowout win. The 29-year-old has now racked up seven tackles in back-to-back games and will look to keep producing in next week's matchup versus Denver.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Picks up two sacks Saturday
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James recorded 2.0 sacks and a fumble recovery during Saturday's 40-7 win at New England.
James' 34 defensive snaps were his fewest in any of his appearances so far this season, but he was still able to put his mark on a blowout victory. One of his highlight plays Sunday came late in the third quarter, when he ran straight through Antonio Gibson on his way to taking down Drake Maye for a sack and forcing a turnover on downs. He's 10 tackles away from 100 on the year going into a Week 18 matchup at Las Vegas.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Double-digit stops, INT in win
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James recorded 10 total tackles (five solo) and an interception in Sunday's 17-13 win over the Falcons.
James played primarily at slot cornerback in Week 13, securing an interception to put the game on ice in the final moments of the fourth quarter. Additionally, the 10 tackles matched his season high, reaching that mark for the second time in three weeks. James has now compiled 75 total tackles (45 solo), including 2.5 sacks, while also adding an interception and five additional pass deflections over 11 games in 2024.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Logs 10 tackles vs. Bengals
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James tallied 10 tackles (seven solo), including 0.5 sacks, and one pass defense in Sunday's 34-27 win over Cincinnati.
Sunday marked the first time in the 2024 regular season that James registered 10 combined tackles, and he finished second on the Chargers in that category behind Daiyan Henley (11). James also logged his first sack since Week 3 against the Steelers, as he combined with Tuli Tuipulotu to take down Joe Burrow late in the first quarter for a four-yard loss. James has played 100 percent of the Chargers' defensive snaps in seven of nine regular-season games, and is up to 59 tackles (38 solo), including 1.5 sacks, and five pass defenses, on the season.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Makes eight tackles in loss
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James finished with eight tackles (five solo) in the Chargers' 17-15 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night.
The safety also played on all 55 defensive snaps, the fourth time in his five games this season that he's played on every defensive snap. James has 32 tackles (21 solo), including 1.0 sacks, and two passes defensed in 2024.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Suspension upheld
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James (suspension) had his one-game suspension upheld Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
James will be forced to sit out Sunday's matchup with Kansas City after violating the league's playing rules, leaving Los Angeles a little thin against the back-to-back Super Bowl champions. In his place, AJ Finley and Elijah Molden will likely see an increase in workload in the secondary.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Plethora of tackles in sixth season
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James finished the 2023 campaign with 125 tackles (86 solo), seven passes defensed, two sacks and one interception across 16 games for the Chargers.
James compiled the third-most total tackles among all NFL safeties and made his most appearances since his 2018 rookie campaign, but the veteran defender wasn't quite the same playmaker as he had been in past seasons. The 27-year-old offers a level of versatility that's unmatched by most defensive backs in the league, but the Chargers could need even more production from him in 2024 with the team expected to lose a few key veterans due to cap constraints this offseason.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Double-digit tackles in loss
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James had 11 tackles (eight solo) in Sunday's 24-7 loss to the Broncos.
James reached double-digit tackles for the fourth time this season and played every single defensive snap for the fourth time in five games. He's now up to 91 total tackles in 12 games, which is second only to Kenneth Murray (100) on the Chargers. James could reach the century mark in stops as early as Thursday night against the Raiders, which would be the third straight season he's reached that milestone in his five-year career.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Gets first INT of season in win
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James had five tackles (four solo) and an interception in Sunday's 30-13 win over the Bears.
He picked off Tyson Bagent in the fourth quarter on a pass intended for Darnell Mooney, which was James' first regular season interception since Week 16 of the 2022 season. His 37 tackles this season is behind the pace of the 115 he registered last year, and it seems unlikely the safety will reach 100-plus tackles for a third straight season.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Active Week 7
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James (ankle) will be active for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
James sustained a minor ankle injury during practice Thursday, which left him sidelined for Friday's session and thus questionable to play Week 7. The three-time Pro Bowler was reportedly considered a game-time decision, so it appears he was able to make it through pregame warmups well enough to suit up Sunday. Over four games this season, James has tallied 27 tackles and two passes defended, and he should continue to play a crucial, do-it-all role in the Chargers defense.
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Chargers' Derwin James: Viewed as game-time call Sunday
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James (ankle), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the Chiefs, is viewed as a game-time decision, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
A mid-week addition to the Chargers' injury report after tweaking his ankle in Thursday's practice, James didn't participate in Friday's session en route to taking a questionable tag into the weekend. Despite closing the practice week on a down note, James will be evaluated in pregame warmups before the Chargers make a call on his status when they release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. While suiting up for four of the Chargers' first five games, James has accrued 27 tackles and two pass breakups. Los Angeles has already ruled its other starting safety, Alohi Gilman (heel), out for the contest, so the secondary could be spread even more thin against the Kansas City passing attack if James can't gain clearance to play.
