The Los Angeles Chargers have been playing really good defense through the first three weeks of the season. The unit is only allowing 276.7 yards per game (8th in the NFL) and 16.7 points a game (4th). Leading the charge for Los Angeles’ defense is veteran safety Derwin James, who was recently named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 3 against the Denver Broncos.
Now, James and company will take the show on the road in Week 4, facing off against the New York Giants and a rookie quarterback. New York has announced that first-round pick Jaxson Dart will make his first start on Sunday. While the Giants are confident in the young QB’s ability, NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky recently went to the film to explain why James could make this a disaster start for Dart.
Dan Orlovsky details how Derwin James could cause problems for Jaxson Dart
Orlovsky said the one thing Dart needs to figure out before every play is where No. 3 is at, because James has the ability to disrupt every play. The former NFL quarterback emphasized that by showing clips of James lining up all over the field, and wrecking games. The four clips showed James on the line of scrimmage before getting a tackle for a loss on a run play, five yards off the ball before flipping sides and blowing up a screen pass, and two times on the line of scrimmage, blitzing to get sacks.
After the film, Orlovsky presented a graphic showing that since 2024, James is the only player in the league with 300 snaps at slot corner, 300 snaps at outside linebacker, and 200 snaps at safety. The versatile defender makes plays from all over the field, and that’s tough for any offense to deal with, but especially a struggling one with a rookie quarterback in his first start.
In Week 3, James recorded 12 tackles, one sack, for tackles for a loss, and a quarterback hit. If the veteran safety puts together a game like that against New York, it will be a long day for Dart and the Giants.