Derwin James has proven to be one of the best to play the safety position. But where does he stack up among his peers?
Pro Football Focus released their safety rankings and recognized James as the No. 7 player at his position.
While the talent is obviously there, James couldn’t put it all together last season, which prevents him from being mentioned here in the top tier of safeties.
The Chargers safety topped 1,000 snaps for the first time since 2018 despite missing one game. But while he ranked third among safeties in PFF overall grade (90.4) between 2018 and 2022, his 60.1 grade in 2023 was good for just 71st at the position.
James finished the 2023 season with 125 tackles, seven passes defensed, two sacks and one interception across 16 games.
James made his most appearances since his 2018 rookie campaign, but he wasn’t quite the same playmaker as he had in seasons prior when he earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods.
Despite the down year, James is still a dynamic player with the ability to cover, play the run and blitz. Rather than moving him all over the field, Jesse Minter plans to put him in positions to best utilize his skills in hopes of getting him back on track.