The Los Angeles Chargers went 12-4 last season, tied for the best record in the AFC, and ranked top-eight in both points scored and points allowed per game. Los Angeles' supremely disappointing performance in the second round of the playoffs against the New England Patriots, most agreed, wasn't indicative of its overall quality. Anthony Lynn's was one of the several best teams in football last season.

The Chargers were poised to be as much in 2019, too, perhaps even good enough to exercise those postseason demons by advancing to the Super Bowl. News of a foot injury to Derwin James that will keep him out indefinitely tempered those optimistic hopes, but didn't cause them to disappear entirely. If the superstar safety misses the entire season, though, that might be a different story altogether.

Los Angeles coach Anthony Lynn address James' injury on Friday, allowing for the possibility that he could be sidelined for the entirety of 2019.

“I’d like for him to play in 2019, but I don’t know that for sure,” he said of James, per Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams.

The 2018 First Team All-Pro suffered the injury at some point during Thursday's practice. Team doctors diagnosed James with a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot on Friday morning.

The 17th overall pick of last year's draft, James quickly established himself as one of the most dynamic, versatile defenders in all of football as a rookie. He finished his debut campaign with 105 tackles, three and-a-half sacks, and three interception en route to being ranked No. 31 on the NFL Top 100.