Derwin James injury could lead Chargers to sign free-agent safety Earl Thomas

When the Baltimore Ravens released seven-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas recently, the Los Angeles Chargers were rumored as a team that might pursue Thomas because the Bolts' defensive coordinator is Gus Bradley, who was Thomas' DC in Seattle from 2010-12. Now the Chargers may really go after Thomas with the news that stellar young safety Derwin James is going to miss a while with a meniscus injury.

As of this writing, it's not clear how long James will miss, but it certainly will be the start of the season, which is less than two weeks away. He was having surgery Monday. If James simply needs a meniscus trim, he could be out only four weeks. If the meniscus needs a full repair, that would be several months on the sideline and perhaps the season. James suffered a similar injury in his sophomore season at Florida State in Week 2 and he never made it back that year.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted this after the James injury: "The #Chargers play the same system as the #Seahawks with DC Gus Bradley. Earl Thomas is still a free agent. Would be an intriguing option for LAC if they felt compelled to go with a veteran replacement for Derwin James."

Salary cap space wouldn't be an issue as the Chargers have around $14 million available. William Hill sportsbook listed James at +2500 to win the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, which no Charger has ever done (not even the legendary Junior Seau).

James had one of the great rookie seasons for a defender in recent history as the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of FSU. James was named first-team All-Pro at safety and second-team All-Pro at cornerback. James was also the first Chargers rookie to be named a starter in the Pro Bowl since Shawne Merriman in 2005. James finished with 109 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three picks and 15 passes defensed. No other Chargers rookie ever had 100 tackles in his first season.

Last year, James was limited to five late-season games after suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot in August 2019. James had 23 tackles. It's not a coincidence that the Chargers were 12-4 and a playoff team in James' one full season and then dropped to 5-11 last year.

If James has to miss the full season, the SportsLine Projection Model (see below) drops the Chargers from 7.7 wins to 7.2 and their chances of making the playoffs drop nearly nine percent. William Hill gives the Chargers an Over-Under win total of 7.5, with the Over a -135 favorite. L.A. is a 3-point favorite on the NFL odds for Week 1 in Cincinnati.

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