Chargers' Derius Davis Has an All-Pro on Resume but May Face Fierce Camp Battle

Derius Davis will have the opportunity to battle it out for an expanded role in a Mike McDaniel-led offense heading into a contract year.

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The Los Angeles Chargers will enter training camp for the 2026 season with a deep roster. There are several position groups that are very deep and this may lead to some tough decisions at the end of training camp for the coaching staff and front office.

One of the deeper groups on the roster includes the wide receiver room. The Chargers receiver room currently consists of Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Tre' Harris, Derius Davis, Keandre Lamber-Smith, fourth-round pick Brenen Thompson, as well as several returning 2025 undrafted free agents who will be joined by two additional college free agents.

The Chargers have carried at least six wide receivers on their initial 53-man roster each season under Jim Harbaugh. The difference that may arise this year is the depth of the rest of the roster. The Chargers have stacked nearly every position room and they will face tough decisions based on how the other battles play out.

If I had to make a predicative 53-man roster today, I would imagine Derius Davis makes the roster. When healthy, he is one of the best returners in the NFL, proven by securing an All-Pro in his rookie season. However, the Chargers have brought in several other weapons capable of returning kicks and punts. Running back Keaton Mitchell and fourth-round pick Brenen Thompson may all get looks as returners this upcoming season.

Davis may not necessarily be at major risk of losing his roster spot, but he is entering a contract year coming off back-to-back seasons where injuries have played a factor. This season, Davis may be fighting for his role.

Derius Davis' fit going forward

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Davis should be looked at as the returner for the Chargers until he is clearly unseated or if injuries simply strike again. Luckily for Davis, though, the Chargers' new offensive coordinator, Mike McDaniel, knows a thing or two about how to use undersized speed wide receivers.

Fourth round draft pick Brenen Thompson has stolen the headlines as the perfect fit for Mike McDaniel, but Davis is roughly the same size, and although Thompson beats Davis' 40-yard dash time with 4.26 seconds versus 4.36 seconds, Davis accelerates faster than Thompson with a 1.46-second ten-yard split to Thompson's 1.54 seconds.

Mike McDaniel is undoubtedly building and designing a role for the faster wide receivers on the roster, including Keandre Lambert-Smith who is a bigger receiver standing over six feet tall at 190 pounds but in the same category of speed as Davis and Thompson, having run a 4.37 second 40-yard dash with a 1.53 second ten yard split.

Davis will have the opportunity to compete and expand from just his returner role in this offense. He will be in a fierce battle for a role heading into his contract year.