Derius Davis came off of two disappointing seasons in 2024 and 2025 following his All-Pro rookie season. Heading into 2026, there was never any pressure on him as far as competition. Throughout the spring, Davis held onto the top returner spot on Ryan Ficken's unit without true resistance.
Fast forward to today. The Chargers have the third fewest yards by punt return average (3.8) and the second fewest returned punts in the NFL (4) in 2026. Davis also muffed a punt vs. Seattle which immediately erased the only lead the Chargers had in that game.
The Chargers' special teams staff will lose their jobs alongside Derius Davis.
Does it all fall on Davis? No, the Chargers have had pretty subpar blocking around him. But Davis' speed and acceleration was supposed to be an X-factor that separated him from other returners on the roster. To this point, it has not. As mentioned earlier, Davis is averaging just 3.8 yards per punt return. But as far as kickoff returns, he hasn't even proven to be the best option there. RB Kimani Vidal is averaging 25.6 yards per kickoff return to Davis' 24.2.
Davis has actively made punt returns worse this offseason independent of the spacing around him. Take a punt he fielded this past week vs. Denver as an example:
The numbers are bad. The film is bad. And yet, he's the unquestioned top punt returner and part of their kick return rotation. Ryan Ficken said on Thursday that Davis will remain the teams' top returner: "We're sticking with what we have."
When asked about Davis potentially being indecisive on punt returns, Ficken had this to say:
"I don't think it's just him, I think it's the team in that phase," Ficken said of Davis' performance. "We just gotta be better all-around. I don't think it's specifically one person."
Through Week 5, the Chargers are 27th in special teams EPA. The BYE week is around the corner. If Ficken's unit does not get the situation under control this week, he might be the coaching staff member at highest risk of a midseason firing. Initial reports in 2024 said that HC Jim Harbaugh wanted to hire his son Jay Harbaugh before he was convinced to retain Ficken. With three straight years of declining special teams performance, LA's ST coordinator might feel the most heat on his job currently.
It's not just one thing on special teams. Davis as a returner is far from the only problem. But special teams continues to follow the theme of the 2026 Chargers—insisting on the same things over and over again with no adjustments. Insanity, banging your head against the wall, whatever you want to call it.
If Ficken does not get the return game going, he could be the first sacrificial lamb of this failed Chargers' season.
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