Positionless Player: Derwin James' No. 3 Is On Eagles' Minds

PHILADELPHIA - The Los Angeles Chargers will enter a Monday night showdown against the Eagles with the No. 3 ranked defense in the NFL.

The best player on the unit is Derwin James, a three-time All-Pro who arrived in the league as a first-round pick out of Florida State as a safety, James has evolved into one of the most versatile players in football over the ensuing seasons.

A “Where’s Waldo” chess piece for Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, James will line up on the back end at times but far often he’s closer to the line off scrimmage and feigning opposing offenses into thinking he’s playing in the slot instead of off-ball linebacker.

Or vice versa.

Finding No. 3

Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) avoids the tackle of Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. (3) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Recognizing James' varying responsibilities from play to play will be mission No. 1 for the Philadelphia offense.

"They move Derwin around a lot. Sometimes he's at nickel, at safety, he's at linebacker, so you have to always see where he at, what he's doing,” star Eagles’ receiver DeVonta Smith said. “He's a guy that gets around to the ball and then just, they rally to the ball well. They have the guys on the outside who are pretty good. They can get to the quarterback and things like that. You gotta go out there and execute and know where 3 [James] is at all times."

Heck, James even has 11 pressures and three sacks this season, often mimicking an edge defender.

According to Pro Football Focus, James has lined up 251 times in the slot, 221 times in the box as an off-bll defender, 99 times on the defensive front, and 62 times at his original position as a free safety.

You can also 13 times as an outside cornerback.

In many ways, James has turned the idea of the positionless player into practicality.

The only place you will never see James line up is defensive tackle.

“He's a really good football player, really physical. Got to be aware of where he is on the field and what position he's playing,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said.

Sirianni was an assistant with the Chargers when they bridged San Diego and Los Angeles from 2013 to 2017 so it’s been a while but he’s still friendly with many in the Chargers organization who have spoke glowingly about James through that lens.

“He can do a lot of different things. I don't know him [personally], maybe just to say hello, but I don't know him that well, but everybody that was with the Chargers that I had those connections with, just sing his praises of the type of worker he is, the player he is, leader he is,” said Sirianni. “So a lot of respect for him and his game. We'll have to know where he is at all times and we'll have to have our chinstraps tightened up because he's a physical player.”

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