Ronnie Lott and Ed Reed punished those who came over the middle, and Paul Krause and Emlen Tunnell reeled in interceptions like nobody’s business. But Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. is different, according to his head coach.
Most notably referring to James as “the best safety” he’s “ever seen in the history of the National Football League,” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh profusely lauded his young star.
“It’s like being around greatness every day, whether it’s the practice environment, the training environment, the meeting environment, the way he is on the sideline and most the way he is during the game. He’s incredible. It’s just enthusiasm unknown to mankind, jumps out,” Harbaugh said about James after the Chargers’ Week 2 win on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders. “When he tackles, he gets him down. He can cover. He can play any position in the secondary. I guess what jumps out the most is he can play nickel, he can play dime backer, he could play corner, he could play in the deep half, he can play in the deep middle, he can blitz.
“You have to compare him to Willie Mays at that point. He’s a five-tool, six-tool secondary player. It’s incredible what he can do. … It’s like Superman when he puts on the armor, when he puts on that suit and wears that number three. He’s donning the cape.”
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In Week 2, James totaled two passes defended and seven combined tackles and has 14 combined tackles on the season.
James, a one-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, has shined across the board over his NFL career. The versatile defender crushes pass-catchers who challenge him in the passing game, has electric speed, forces turnovers and stuffs the stat sheet. Moreover, James is one of the faces of a Los Angeles defense that has allowed just 30 total points (third in the NFL) and 282.5 total yards per game (seventh) through its first two games.
Last season, James totaled a career-high 5.5 sacks, seven passes defended and 93 combined tackles. The safety logged 110-plus combined tackles in three consecutive seasons from 2021-23, which came after he was limited to five games in 2019 due to a foot injury and missed all of 2020 due to a knee injury. The Chargers selected James with the No. 17 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Florida State.
“The best safety” Harbaugh has ever seen and the 2-0 Chargers host the AFC West-rival Denver Broncos on Sunday.
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