Derwin James Jr.’s return will have to wait.
The Chargers ruled out their star safety for Sunday’s Week 8 meeting with the Rams at SoFi Stadium after a setback in his hamstring rehab. It will be the fourth straight game James has missed since the injury first sidelined him in late September.
Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday that James had suffered the setback during his recovery, and the safety never got on the practice field this week. Harbaugh also said injured reserve is now a possibility, a move that would keep James out for at least four more games.
James has not played since the Chargers’ 24-16 loss to the Bills in Week 3, a stretch that has matched up with Los Angeles falling to 0-6. Before the injury, he appeared in three games and recorded 21 tackles and a pass breakup.
The absence lands especially hard for a defense that has been holding up better than the offense during the skid. James has been the emotional anchor of that unit, and the Chargers also invested heavily in him this offseason, making him the highest-paid safety in the league with an extension.
Durability had been one of his calling cards, too. He played 16 games in each of the previous three seasons.
If the Chargers decide to put him on injured reserve before Sunday, the earliest possible return would be Week 12 against the Patriots. Waiting until after the Rams game would push that back one more week, and with the season going the way it has, the team may have little incentive to rush back a 30-year-old cornerstone.
Without James, Chris O’Leary will again piece together the secondary with Elijah Molden, Genesis Smith, Tony Jefferson, and RJ Mickens. That group has done enough to keep the defense in the fight, but the depth behind it remains a concern.
The Chargers are also dealing with more injuries on the back end. Defensive back Deane Leonard has been ruled out with a concussion, while cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Rodney Shelley are both questionable with hamstring injuries.
The Rams come in at 3-4 and will be without Davante Adams, but Matthew Stafford still leads one of the league’s most productive offenses. That leaves Los Angeles with a depleted secondary and a tough assignment as it tries to snap its losing streak.
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Protection up front is a major part of the equation against a Rams front that can wreck a game plan, especially with Aaron Donald and Byron Young coming after the pocket. The Chargers are also trying to sort out an inconsistent running game while dealing with offensive line injuries, and even with Joe Alt trending toward availability, Rashawn Slater remains on injured reserve. How those moving parts hold up will go a long way toward deciding whether this feels like a post-bye reset or another familiar problem. [Read more 🡒]