The Los Angeles Chargers will be without superstar safety Derwin James Jr. for their upcoming Week 4 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, James has been suspended for one game for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players.
Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. suspended for one game
The league deemed that James was “involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules.” The play in question came in the third quarter when the Chargers’ safety hit Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth:
“The video of the play shows that you lowered your head and made forcible contact to Steelers tight end, Pat Freiermuth,” NFL VP of Football Ops Jon Runyan wrote in his letter to James (h/t Adam Schefter of ESPN). “You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided. Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules will not be tolerated.
“Substantial penalties are warranted when players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.”
James will be suspended for one week due to a violation of the NFL’s player safety rules. His absence from the lineup will undoubtedly be a challenging one for the Chargers to mitigate. James is a former first-team All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He was ranked the No. 7 safety in the NFL by Pro Football Focus entering the season.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, James will appeal the league’s decision. Without James, the Chargers’ defense will need to rely on second-year safety AJ Finley to contribute meaningful snaps against the Chiefs. The 2-1 Chargers are looking to bounce back from their Week 3 loss but will have a difficult task ahead as they face the undefeated Chiefs shorthanded in Week 4.
