Much was made about Derwin James’ absence on a 3rd and 8 play in last Saturday’s loss to the Bills in which Stefon Diggs was able to ice the game.
Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley said it was an error rather than a benching.
We didn’t pull him. We went into the game playing different STARS in different packages, and the play call that came out did not have him in the game which, at that moment, I wish I would have called a better play and had him in the game.
On James specifically not being on the field on that play:
We went into the game wanting to move some people around, give us the best chance to matchup. In that situation, you’d love to have Derwin on the field. We should have had him on the field. That is totally on me, I mismanaged that. It was going fast, just mismanaged on my part. Nothing against Derwin. It had nothing to do with his ability. It was just a coaching error.
While it’s believable that the Chargers may have simply not called the rotations correctly at STAR in that moment, it’s hard to fully buy that play changing the macro of story of James’ night. Even if he had played that down, 42 snaps would’ve still been a career low for him, excluding injuries.
With James effectively being relegated to slot cornerback and box roles in the current defense, it’s still fair to wonder about his future. Is this the role James wants for himself long term? Is the former Florida State product’s current usage in the scheme something a new general manager or head coach will want to replicate?
James and Ansley will both try to finish out the season strong in the last two weeks against Denver and Kansas City.