Raiders Opposing Safeties No. 3: Derwin James

The NFL preseason amazingly is only one week away, and with that, fans of all NFL teams can start looking at the match-ups their teams will face this season.

The Las Vegas Raiders are no exception, as they will have a number of marquee games when looking at the 2021 schedule.

We finish off looking at the best defenders the Raiders will face this season with the safety position.

At No. 3, it would be easy to forget how great Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James played as a rookie in 2018.

In starting all 16 games, the former first-round pick had three interceptions, 13 pass breakups, 105 total tackles, and 3.5 sacks.

James finished fifth in Pro Football Focus' safety rankings for 2018, showcasing his ability to be an all-around terror on defense.

Since that time, though, James' career has been plagued by injuries.

He missed the first 11 games of the 2019 season because of a stress fracture in his right foot, likely a big reason why the Chargers defense fell six spots from eighth-best to 14th.

James then tore his right meniscus days before the start of last season and ended up missing every game.

With playing in only five games the last two seasons, James' career has gone from being one of the most promising in the league to maybe one of the most precarious.

However, the potential he showed in his rookie year can't be ignored, and even after his injuries, it's not out of the question James could get right back to that level if he stays healthy.

If he does, he'll be a player the Raiders offense will have to keep track of at all times, which is only made more important since the Raiders could see him twice this year.

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