In a shocking turn of events, the Los Angeles Chargers will likely be without star safety Derwin James for their upcoming Week 4 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL handed James a one-game suspension on Monday night for repeatedly breaking player safety rules, with the most recent incident occurring during the Chargers’ recent loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
During the game at Acrisure Stadium, James made a controversial helmet-to-helmet hit on Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, leading to the suspension. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, NFL executive vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, delivered the news to James in a statement, saying, “The video of the play shows that you lowered your head and made forcible contact to Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.”
Vincent went on to emphasize that James’ repeated violations of player safety rules will not be tolerated, especially when they pose a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.
In response to the suspension, James will reportedly appeal the NFL’s decision, as reported by The Athletic. Despite the setback, James has been a key player for the Chargers this season, tallying 21 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hit in just three games. The standout safety has been a fixture for the Chargers since being drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft.
The absence of James will undoubtedly be felt by the Chargers as they prepare to face a tough opponent in the Chiefs. However, his teammates will need to step up in his absence and fill the void left by his suspension. Only time will tell how the Chargers will adjust to playing without their star safety, but one thing is certain – Derwin James’ impact on the team will be sorely missed on Sunday.
