COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Derwin James Jr. is a walking espresso, team-chemistry blend.
The Los Angeles Chargers had just finished a two-hour training camp session, and James, freshly stretched, was conducting an animated FaceTime call -- or at least he was trying. He couldn't help himself, engaging every teammate who walked past while he swayed, swung his hair or smirked.
For the Chargers' standout, everyone is a "bro," from offensive linemen to cornerbacks, and they all got shoulder pats from James' yellow-gloved hand or shoutouts as they crossed his vision during the call. Safeties who blitz, play in the post and cover tight ends in the slot were subject to multitasking.
After ending the call, the gifted defensive back greeted a credentialed bro under a tent, made clear his two-year absence is over, those injury labels buried somewhere in L.A. and his league takeover back on.
"I'm not out here half-stepping; I'm not worried about getting injured, bro," James told ESPN. "I'm out here, full speed. That's the only way I know how to play the game.
"It just feels good to be back playing football."
The Chargers don't seem to care that James has missed 27 games over the past two years due to foot surgery in 2019 and a torn meniscus in 2020. The NFL is a cold, calculated business known to discard injury-plagued players, yet the Chargers are building their entire defense around James, adding more cornerback duties to his already loaded plate. His otherworldly talent is the primary reason, with a 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame emblematic of today's positionless football that coaches covet. In a given practice, James will line up as a safety, corner, linebacker or on the edge, all while handling the green dot and calling the defense.
The possibilities seemed endless in 2018, when a healthy James burst onto the scene as a first-round rookie with 105 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 13 pass breakups. And anyone watching James move with no limitations this camp has no doubt he can again make a massive impact.
His recent interception and 99-yard return when guarding San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle in a joint practice even hyped up LeBron James on social media.
Something about them JAMES boys!! Happy to see you back healthy again and doing what you do best DJ!! 🙏🏾💪🏾👑 https://t.co/uIZnZ9hoiY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 20, 2021
But the Chargers might be even more excited about his leadership. The way the team sees it, he has basically been a team captain since the Chargers drafted him 17th overall three-plus years ago.
"He just has a glow," first-year head coach Brandon Staley said. "People are really drawn to him, a spirit and energy that brings people to him, brings people with him."
Some teams might be inclined to place a protective bubble around James, but the Chargers have let James be himself. There are no limitations here, largely because his injuries didn't linger.
As James described, his 2019 injury was "getting a new screw in my foot after the old one bent on me" in his fifth metatarsal. The original screw was from a surgery prior to joining the NFL. The procedure cost him 11 games that season. And then the 2020 meniscus tear was a routine four- to five-month injury, but it just happened at the worst time: late in an Aug. 30 scrimmage.
"All of it was simple fixes," James said. "They fixed it, and I feel stronger."
This helps explain why the Chargers picked up James' fifth-year option of $9.052 million for 2022 despite all the time missed. That says a lot about how they value him. And with other first-round picks from his class -- including quarterback Josh Allen, offensive tackle Kolton Miller and center Frank Ragnow -- already getting extensions, James is poised for a major payout if he has a big season and stays on the field. And James spent all offseason confirming his good health, leaning heavily on a player who has been there.
Before Keenan Allen became a perennial Pro Bowl receiver for the Chargers, he fought the injury-prone label as he recovered from an early-career torn ACL. So, Allen adopted a rigorous offseason routine -- a blend of band work, mobility and balance training and running on a track that he calls "prehab" -- to engender longevity.
James asked Allen to teach him the workouts. Throughout the offseason, Allen would text James at around 10 most nights to plan a meetup at a local track near the Chargers' facility early the next morning.
"Bet," James always responded.
"We're both the same dogs -- same animal, different beasts," Allen said. "We both have that dog, get it by any means."
Allen called their training together "special" and "personal." And his advice to James was clear-cut: Know what you bring to the table, control what you can and stay in the lab.
In fact, Allen has urged James to guard him in one-on-ones all camp long because, according to Allen, "He's the best cover guy we have right now" and has the best technique, which James showed off with a deep-ball interception against Allen in the second week of camp.
James was not lacking for confidence, but he emerged from those sessions with Allen ready to address any questions about his durability.
"When I'm back to making plays on the field, those [critics] will be the same people rooting for me again," James said about those who question his long-term viability due to injury. "I don't really get too caught up in, 'Hey, he's too injury-prone.' I'm ready to go back out there and show the world what I can do, showing he's a guy that bounced back from adversity and took it and ran with it. That was the hand I was dealt, but it's not who I am."
The time away from the game also has challenged James to refine his leadership and mental capacity for football. He said he can walk into any position room in the Chargers' facility to fire off friendly banter, asking offensive linemen if they are ready for his blitzing or notifying receivers it's "no slants day" on the practice field. He gets away with this because he invests in teammates first.
"A lot of players are going through a lot, and guys don't often take the time to get to know players," James said. "I can go in any room -- quarterback room, O-line room, whatever -- and start off with a smile, bringing that energy every day, speaking to them. How is your family doing? How are your kids doing? All the little stuff that some people tend to forget in this game."
James also has expanded his knowledge of formations and offensive tendencies, consistently giving quarterback Justin Herbert different post-snap looks in practice. James takes copious notes on every position in defensive meetings to understand all the moving parts. And in practice, his directives to teammates at the line of scrimmage are urgent but unstartling: "Line up ... we good, we good ... I'm here."
Staley coached cornerback Jalen Ramsey, James' good friend from their Florida State days, as the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator last year. And here's the ultimate compliment: James is one of the few NFL players Ramsey views as his peer, Staley said. That's how immense the talent is. So why wouldn't Staley use James as an all-over-the-field weapon?
"He can play anywhere in the deep part of the field, he can play in the half, he can play in the post, he can play in the quarter, he can play in the slot man-to-man, whether inside in the slot, he can play star -- which is our nickel -- he can play money, and he can rush the passer," Staley said. "And he's our signal caller. When you talk versatility to me, he's Mr. Versatility."
And that's what James wants, he said. Yes, he is a box safety. He's just nine other things too.
Teams have prioritized positional flexibility for years, with the Kansas City Chiefs' Tyrann Mathieu and Washington's Landon Collins being other examples at safety. Safeties who can make linebacker-type splash plays at the line of scrimmage add value to their teams. And at linebacker, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers recently drafted Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Devin Bush, respectively, because of the advantage their open-field speed provides. But James might be the most valuable of all because he can cover like a true cornerback at 6-foot-2.
The Chargers are expecting James to put an already decent defense over the top. They were middle of the pack on that side of the ball in 2020 despite another slew of injuries, finishing 16th both in the Football Power Index's defensive rating and yards allowed per play (5.5).
"We know we can be special, but we say that every year, so let's just not say it" has become sort of a running joke with Allen and other Chargers. It's hard not to say it this year, though. Herbert is considered a top-10 quarterback leaguewide after just one season, and the talent at the offensive skill positions is top-shelf. With $135 million man Joey Bosa off the edge and a good mix of complementary veterans and young talent, Staley should be able to maximize the play of the defense with his scheme.
James wholly believes the Chargers will make a deep playoff push.
"We've got the guys," he said.
And he has no plans to be sidelined for it.
"It feels amazing to be myself again," James said. "I feel like guys gravitate toward me, and being that leader that they need me to be, knowing they drafted me in the first round for a reason, is a blessing."