Derwin James, Jr., has always done it all since getting drafted by the Chargers in 2018.
And his play has only gone up a notch over the past few seasons.
The Bolts safety has earned back-to-back Second-Team All-Pro honors after finishing the 2025 season second on the team with 94 total tackles to go along with seven passes defensed, 2.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss.
He also added three interceptions, which tied a career-high and were the most he’s had since his rookie season in 2018.
James’ success over the last pair of seasons have come as the safety has moved closer to the line of scrimmage, allowing him to wreak havoc on opposing offenses — and it’s earned him the title of one of the league’s most versatile defenders.
The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen recently identified his top 10 most versatile defenders in the NFL, with James among the list.
Whatever he’s asked to do, James can do it.
Last season, James played more on the second level than he has in his career and arguably had his best season. [Jesse] Minter asked him to do a little bit of everything and he excelled. James could be the best pass-rushing defensive back in the league; he’s physical against the run, can cover man-to-man and has sideline-to-sideline range in zone. He could be blitzing on one play and playing man on a tight end the next, while playing the “hole” in a Cover 2 zone on the next one.