Sitting at a miserable 0-6 coming off their bye, the last thing the Los Angeles Chargers needed was losing a key defensive leader to a long-term designation.
Yet in a season where absolutely nothing is going right for Jim Harbaugh’s squad, the hit keeps coming.
Chargers Place Derwin James Jr. on IR
The Chargers officially placed star safety Derwin James Jr. on injured reserve Saturday, locking him out for at least four games after a major setback in his hamstring rehab.
The timeline on James’ injury makes this move even harder to stomach for Los Angeles. After suffering a Grade 1 hamstring strain during practice on Sept. 30, James missed three straight weeks heading into the Chargers’ Week 7 bye.
The entire plan was for the 15-day break to serve as his ramp-up period, but instead of making progress, he hit a brutal setback during practice reps coming out of the bye. What was supposed to be a short-term soft tissue issue exploded into a four-game mandatory IR stint, shutting down the pulse of this defense until late November.
James will have to sit out a minimum of four games for the Chargers.
Chargers Sign Isas Waxter, Make Other Roster Moves
To fill out the roster gap, the Chargers signed cornerback Isas Waxter to their active roster, while also elevating CB Kaiir Elam from the practice squad.
Waxter spent last season on the Bolts’ practice squad after initially signing as an undrafted free agent with Seattle. He has appeared in a pair of games this season as a standard elevation.
At 0-6, they needed as much help as they could get to get at least one win. The Chargers’ defense was the only remaining hope, since they generated some turnovers that the offense failed to capitalize on. James was the key in that offense.
In Week 8 vs. the Rams, it will be an uphill battle to even get the ball into the offense’s hands. Without him, Los Angeles can no longer disguise pre-snap coverage shells or shift post-snap looks effectively.
Moving James to IR forces Elijah Molden into a primary starting role and elevates Kaiir Elam from the practice squad.
Locked out until at least Week 12 against New England, James’ absence leaves an 0-6 roster without its core player during the most critical month of the season. By the time he returns, there won’t be much left for the Bolts.
Chargers Announce Crushing Derwin James Jr. Injury Decision Before Week 8 vs. Rams