Chargers Derwin James & Chris Harris Jr. Will Be Transferring Round a Lot in 2021

The defense will look a little different this season. Most of the staff that will be deployed will return, but there will be some wrinkles. Brandon Staley has been known to be willing to take risks and make some changes.

One of the most significant changes will be the use of two players, one of whom was featured in Derwin James during his rookie season, while veteran cornerback Chris Harris Jr. has dominated cornerback and slot for years.

During his rookie season, James played linebacker, free safety, and sometimes even pass rusher, so the Chargers defense is trying to take full advantage. Also, Harris is thrown into the mix for being a smart player, whom Staley refers to as the defensive coordinator on the field.

“It’s huge,” said an excited Harris in June. “Me and he (James) are like the positional players. I would say obviously only DBs because he and me play in three different positions.”

The safety in the third year will play similarly to his rookie season, but will also be involved in the slot, especially when the team encounters larger receivers or even tight ends. Harris will play outside corner, slot and strong security.

Basically, Harris is in his position when James is in the slot.

“I really coach him on it because he’s something of a linebacker / nickel,” said Harris. “It just increases the speed. We play both the run and the pass in these packages. You have five defensive linemen that the offensive line will have a problem with blocking.”

For Harris it will be a game safety adjustment as he hasn’t done it since his rookie season, but time will help.

“I just have to get used to it,” said Harris. “I usually get out of here and just play corner or nickel, and I’m very comfortable with that. Now I have to move a lot more, communicate properly, learn how to play my corners and so on. ” It’s new to me, but it was fun. ”

When he signed with the Chargers last off-season, Harris said the main reason was that he wanted to play with James. He felt he could mentor him, but he relied on James to help him with the new fold of defense.

“Definitely in that defense,” declared Harris. “We’re just trying to find ways to fill that void, so this is something new. I can use a deeper part of the field because I’m usually like a linebacker in the pits. I see it the way you play in midfield and read the quarterbacks a lot more. That’s something I ask these guys. ”

James is not only enthusiastic about the various moves, but also about playing again. He has only played five games in two seasons with two different training camp injuries.

He played on the field with one goal. During practice on Friday, he intercepted Justin Herbert during a one-on-one against receiver Keenan Allen. On the first day of padded practice, it only took four games for James to deliver a big hit on Justin Jackson’s running back.

“There is always room to grow; you never quite have it in this game, “said James. “You will always find little things that you didn’t know. We work hard. I have a lot of people and a lot of great coaches to help me. It will be fun.”

When there are such moving parts, there is one thing that will be critical.

“A lot of people move around, have more moving parts, and all I can say has to be able to communicate, to communicate more in this system,” explained James. “Oh man. Oh like I said, we all learn and we all grow together.”

During practice, you can hear the players asking each other to speak to each other. There was one game during the week where receiver Keenan Allen stayed wide open and James came off the field and asked, “Why was Kee so open?”

When he was told, James looked at secondary school and said, “Guys, we need to talk out there. We can’t leave the boys so open.”

He had shown real leadership in his first three seasons but this season it comes to fruition. He is the signal caller and the leader of the defense.

“But you’ll see me everywhere,” said James.

Chargers’ defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill knows Harris from her time in Denver, but he really gets to see what James is about while he coaches him. Hill knows how beneficial this could be this season.

“For us, that’s all,” said the defensive coordinator. “Often times people don’t know where these guys are going to compete. We can swap them depending on the down-and-distance or situation. That gives us a lot of flexibility. These guys are locked up. come and meet all the time. They are the lute in the group. They talk about things that could happen within these defenses. It lets us know that they are taking in everything and that they are really receptive to it. ”

Both are the leaders that the defense will look out for during practice and will be the players that the defense will urge to play big games. They will line up across the field according to the matchups, especially if they face Raiders Tight End Darren Waller or Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce. These are players James will take over.

It’s about matchups and getting players in the best positions to succeed on defense while trying to create confusion for offense.

“They have to find us and be able to plan us and we are going to make it really difficult for them,” Harris said in June.