Derius Davis wasted no time establishing himself as one of the best returners in football during his rookie season in 2023. The fourth-round pick earned All-Pro Second-Team honors and appeared to be a foundational member of the future of the LA Chargers' special teams unit.
Unfortunately, Davis has not recaptured the same magic from his rookie year. His sophomore season was fine, but did not include any trips to the endzone like his first year. Then came his junior season with the Chargers in 2025, which has been nothing short of disappointing.
Davis has battled injuries in 2025 and hasn't been all that impressive when healthy, either. This culminated in primetime on Monday against the Eagles with one of the worst returns you'll ever see on a punt.
Davis fielded the ball at the 32, shed a tackle, then ran backward 10 yards before being tackled by the Eagles. The ball came out but Davis was down by contact, negating any turnover. And to make matters worse, Davis was injured on the play.
Derius Davis may have just lost his job as Chargers returner
Davis didn't return to the game, leaving recently activated Hassan Haskins and Kimani Dival to take over as the primary returners. Haskins nor Vidal did anything of note, but he also didn't take a punt return back 10 yards and nearly fumble.
It's unclear how severe the injury is for Davis and if he will miss any time. But even if Davis is cleared to play next, Jim Harbaugh may turn to another option in the spirit of the best man winning the job.
After averaging a league-leading 16 yards per punt return his rookie season, Davis is averaging just eight yards per return in 2025. The Chargers also haven't used him at all as a gadget player like they did in previous years. Davis has one reception for three years this season. He's carried the ball two times for five yards.
Davis won't have a job at all if he loses his role as the team's primary returner. He doesn't add anything offensively and has lost his juice on special teams. After the disastrous return and injury on Monday, it's not absurd to think that Davis' future with the Chargers is up in the air.
It's a shame, too, because Davis had so much potential after his rookie season. But the Chargers need to make decisions based on 2025 results, not 2023 potential.