What I see of Los Angeles loaders: the defined role of Derwin James, a refreshed racing game

Athletics has live coverage of Chefs VS Chargers On the action of the kick -off of the NFL of Brazil.

Los Angeles LoS Angeles open their season on Friday evening against the Kansas City chiefs in São Paulo, Brazil, and coach Jim Harbaugh will officially have his debut on what he called “version 2.0” of his team.

The charges had a training camp at the marathon, the result of the presence in the match of the renowned temple of this year in Canton, Ohio. They were the first team to go to the camp on July 16. They were the first team to organize a training camp cabinet on July 17. They held 24 training sessions over five weeks.

I rebounded in the locker room earlier this week, and it is clear that the players are impartial to launch real matches after almost two months of accumulation. The prolonged camp has given the loads enough time to assess, schematize, plan and develop. This also gave us media members to observation.

Here is what I see the charge when they are preparing for their first season game.

A role defined for Derwin James

Derwin James Jr. is one of the most versatile defensive players in football. This versatility can be a blessing. Under the previous regime, it has become more a curse. James wore so many hats and has played so many different positions – often in individual games and even individual series – that the charges have lost the best version of James in the process.

James had a rebound season in 2024 under the defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Much of this was to settle for a more defined role for James in the second half. From week 9 of last season, James played 43.1% of his photos in Nickel, according to Trumedia. James had already played nickel in his career, especially under the previous regime. What has changed is that Nickel has become the main position of James.

Based on training camp practices, this will continue in 2025 – and it is possible to minute and the charges look even more on packages with James in Nickel.

It took charge for a while to find their best defensive back group last season. They exchanged for Elijah Molden safety on the day of the cup at the end of August. Without any time to experiment Molden in the training camp, the charges had to understand his role in defense on the fly during the action of the regular season. Halfway through the season, it was obvious that obtaining Molden, the safety Alohi Gilman and James on the field together was the best option. And put James to Nickel, a position closer to the melee line, was the key to unlocking his skills.

As a mining explained it last week, “how can you bring it closer to the game as much as possible?” It’s vision. “”

The previous diet and this diet finally supervised the versatility of James differently. The former staff saw all the elite aspects of James’ game – a fierce blitz, a violent defense race, head skills, range and athletics in the deep part of the field – and moved him from position to the other to try to exploit them all. Attack, instead, maximizes all these features inside a position to nickel.

“This point of nickel is sometimes a secondary, sometimes a corner, sometimes security,” said Minter. “So its versatility certainly thrives when we have it in this position.”

The defenses around the league design different nickel plans depending on the situations. They will have a large nickel package which includes a larger body – most often a security – which can have an impact on the race game. They will have a regular nickel package with a corner in the slit to cover the speed change and the fast interior receivers.

With James, the charges do not have to decide between one or the other. They benefit from James’ elite race by defending without sacrificing anything in the coverage. James is able to go to any type of pass sensor, from receptors to tight ends to runners. Baltimore Ravens benefit from a similar advantage when they play All-Pro Kyle Hamilton security in Nickel. Minter, who previously trained for the Ravens, said that he had shaped the role of James after what the Ravens did with Hamilton.

“The teams are doing enough with movements and jet movements and changes to pull the nickel – or anyone – in the race that sometimes has,” explained Minter. “(James) is a third secondary and a third security and a third corner, and that’s how I look at him. When he is there and they are normal stockings and they want to put it in the cup, it’s like” very well, thank you for attracted Derwin James in the adjustment. “And then it’s like, hey, we need him to cover the road of the wheels on a guy, a slot receiver, he can do it.

Keep Denzel Perryman Fresh

The charges re-signed Denzel Perryman to a one year contract in March. And it was obvious from the jump in the training camp that Perryman remains rooted as one of the two seconds outside the ball next to Daiyan Henley.

Perryman is still a hard -hitting race defender. He is a tones because of his violence and his physique. He embodies the concept of blocking blocks which is fundamental for the way Incontaries wants to play defense.

Perryman begins his 11th season. He will be 33 years old in December. His style of play is contagious. But it also weighs on his body. Perryman was injured in the groin last season 10 and only played 11 defensive shots during the rest of the regular season. He then injured himself in the shoulder during the third snapshot of a loss in playoffs against Houston’s Texans and was eliminated from the match.

How are loaders keeping Perryman fresh? They need him active and available for the most important matches of the season during the section. They didn’t have it for these games last season.

When asked if the chargeers would add to Perryman’s workload differently at the start of the season in 2025, Minter said: “This is certainly part of our reflection process.”

Even after having placed Colson, a third round junior of 2024, on the injured reserve of the end of the season last week, the charges have a quality depth in this room. Troy Dye played well for defense loaders last season, and they have a promising young secondary in the Recruue not drafted Marlowe Wax, who obtained his way on the list of 53 men with a stellar training camp and pre-season.

Loads are not afraid to shoot in games. They did it last season with Henley, Colson and Perryman – before Henley was emerged as a player, the charges could not afford to remove the ground. Dye could absolutely be in the mixture for a notable defensive playing time at the start of the season, because the charges are trying to keep Perryman healthy for a full season.

Will the racing game bounce?

A surprising part of the first season of Harbaugh was the inconsistency of the loading racing game. The attacking coordinator Greg Roman was brought to establish this part of the identity of the team. And although there have been flashes, especially on explosive races of JK Dobbins, the game in progress has never clicked on a lower basis. The charges finished 24th at the precipitated success rate, according to Trumedia.

As Roman said about the race game in the spring, “this is not the level we want, and we knew that each stage of the path.”

The chargers seem determined to improve in this area. They had periods of team drill focused on almost all the padded practices of the camp.

I see reasons for optimism and reasons for pessimism.

The recruit choice of the first round Omarion Hampton looked like a difference manufacturer. Vision. Explosiveness. Smooth feet. Long speed. He also showed his physicity and finished in his brief pre-season action. When the real games start, Hampton will run through people. He thrives in contact. The loads finished 17th in the ground yards pending last season, according to Trumedia. I see that improvement with Hampton playing a big role in the precipitated attack.

Starting the right guard Mekhi Becton can move people if it stays on the ground. Becton has dealt with knee problems in his career. These problems kept him out of three weeks of training camp. But he was not part of the report on injuries on Tuesday.

Joe Alt, who moved to the left tackle after Rashawn Slater suffered a knee injury at the end of the season, is a certified weapon as a racing blocker. Expect to see a lot of Hampton run behind Alt on the left edge this season.

As for pessimism: the charges have lost Slater, perhaps their best offensive line player. Trey Pipkins III enters the program on the right, replacing Alt. They bring the same starters to the left guard and to the center of Zion Johnson and Bradley Bozeman.

Roman has had a career in racing games. How much the chargers improve in this phase will be a pivot point of the season.

(Top Photo by Derwin James: Eric Thayer / Associated Press)