The Los Angeles Chargers put on a defensive clinic in their 20-9 Monday night win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and star safety Derwin James was integral in the effort with seven tackles and a pair of pass breakups. His versatility was on full display in the road triumph, and coach Jim Harbaugh dished out a couple of superlatives in describing just how critical James is to the Chargers defense.
James is a four-time Pro Bowler and earned a first-team All-Pro nod in his rookie year, and his sustained success since his arrival in the league as a first-round pick in 2018 makes him an all-time great in Harbaugh’s eyes.
“Derwin was flying around in the secondary,” Harbaugh said after the win. “Makes that tip. He was playing at the line of scrimmage, he was playing in the intermediate and he was playing in the deep half and deep part of the field and blitzing off the edge. I’ve called him the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb there. He is one of the most incredible players I’ve ever watched.”
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The Chargers were terrific on James’ side of the ball in Week 2. Not only did they keep the Raiders out of the end zone, but they also shut down an explosive passer in Geno Smith and bottled up prized rookie running back Ashton Jeanty to the tune of just 43 yards. The visitors forced all kinds of errors and intercepted Smith three times while surrendering just 218 yards of total offense.
James played an integral role in the third of those takeaways. In one of the top highlights of the night, James tipped a pass in the end zone and teammate Donte Jackson scooped it out of the air to halt the Raiders’ last-gasp effort in the fourth quarter.
It is very early in the year, but James is already on pace to add a fifth 100-tackle season to his career résumé. If he remains this productive over the long haul, he could flirt with a banner year in pass defense and in quarterback pressures, too.
James, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, has played his entire career with the Chargers and is under contract through next season on a deal that pays just over $19 million per year, making him the fourth-highest-paid safety in the NFL.
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