Heading into training camp, the Los Angeles Chargers had a major special teams storyline to manage.
Derius Davis, after an excellent rookie season in which he earned All-Pro honors and established himself as a real weapon for the Chargers as a return man, has had back-to-back underwhelming seasons in his special teams role. He's been limited by injuries, and his production and consistency has seen a sharp decline.
The Chargers finished last season with the fourth-lowest average yards on punt returns and the seventh-lowest on kick returns— with Davis appearing in only 11 games.
Los Angeles also had some competition lined up for Davis heading into the preseason. Both Brenen Thompson and Keaton Mitchell have upside on special teams, and both have the speed and athleticism to theoretically be immediate weapons in Davis' role.
Davis seems to have successfully defended his job for now, taking the first return reps in each of the Chargers' three preseason games, but that shouldn't mean his job is safe— even for the duration of this season.
Derius Davis deserves one more chance, but he's operating on thin ice
In a vacuum, Davis seemed like a sure cut candidate at the start of camp. Although he's shown immense value on special teams in the past, he hasn't had much of a role to play in the regular course of the offense. It's hard to see how that changes at all under Mike McDaniel's scheme— in which opportunities for receivers are often limited by his penchant for multiple tight-end sets.
Davis totaled just three targets last season: a far cry from the 17 he saw in 2023 and 2024.
But even if he were to approach the target share of his rookie and sophomore campaigns again, there's not a ton of cushion available for players whose impact on the actual offense is so minimal. One bad season, and any specialist could suddenly be searching for a new team.
The coaching staff, though, has clearly held out hope that Davis can find his footing again. He's received praise all offseason from special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, and they've held firm in giving him the chance to beat out any lingering competition at the position.
There's enough room to argue he deserves that opportunity given the flashes he's shown to this point in his career. The Chargers may also not be comfortable with simply slotting Mitchell or Thompson into his role given the importance they may have to the offense.
But if we see another inconsistent or unproductive campaign for Davis, Los Angeles has to be ready and willing to move on— slotting in Thompson or even KeAndre Lambert-Smith as a temporary replacement. With the practice squad shaping up to have plenty of worthy depth pieces on it (on both sides of the ball), the competition won't stop for Davis even when the initial 53-man roster is set.
The complexion of the battle simply changes, and Davis will need to justify his inclusion in every appearance this season.
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