Derwin James suffered a foot injury on Thursday and the All-Pro safety has been ruled out indefinitely. This is a huge blow to the San Diego Los Angeles Chargers.
The second-year pro out of Florida State has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. He was seen with a walking boot during the team’s Friday practice with the New Orleans Saints.
As a rookie during the 2018 season, James went to the Pro Bowl and was named First-team All-Pro. He played in all 16 games and racked up 105 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions and 13 pass breakups. After inexplicably falling to the 17th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, James proved he should have gone far higher.
The Chargers were expecting a ton from James this year as they attempt to make a run at an AFC West title and possibly more. This really hurts that chase. James was projected to be one of their stars on defense.
This isn’t the kind of injury that heals quickly and it’s likely he’ll miss a significant chunk, if not all of, the 2019 season.
For now the Chargers will use special teams standout Adrian Phillips (no relation) to fill in for James.
