The Chargers placed safety Derwin James Jr. on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury. Deadspin reported the move came on Saturday and that James will miss at least the next four games. ESPN and Yahoo Sports both described it as a setback in his hamstring rehab, so this is a recurrence of an injury he was already working back from, not a new one.
James, 30, was the 17th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Florida State, per NFL Trade Rumors. He has played three games this season, all in September: 10 tackles against Arizona on Sept. 13, seven against Las Vegas on Sept. 20, and four at Buffalo on Sept. 27. That adds up to 21 tackles, 12 of them solo, with no sacks and no forced fumbles. He has missed every game since the Buffalo one. Yahoo's feed summary puts it that way: he hasn't played since Sept. 27.
The Chargers made two secondary moves alongside it, per NFL Trade Rumors. They signed cornerback Isas Waxter to the active roster, and they moved cornerback Kaiir Elam up from the practice squad. Waxter has appeared in two games this season with two tackles, both solo. Our archive still lists Elam with Kansas City, where he had 33 tackles in 2025, so that listing hasn't caught up with this move. Neither outlet we have says who is expected to take James's snaps.
Yahoo called the injury the latest blow to an injury-riddled team whose season continues to spiral. The record backs up the second half of that. The Chargers are 0-6, fourth in the AFC West and five games behind first-place Kansas City, with a six-game losing streak and a run differential of minus-61 as of Thursday's standings. Their last three results, all after James went out, were a 30-23 loss at Seattle, a 23-17 loss to Denver and a 22-6 loss at Kansas City.
0-64th in AFC WestStreak L6
The Chargers' next game is today at the Rams, so James will be out for it. Deadspin's four-game minimum is the only timeline in the reporting. The other outlets give no return date, and we have no word on whether he will have further tests or a procedure.
Sun, Nov 1, 4:05 PM ET
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