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The Los Angeles Chargers have their hands full after the reported arrest of a defensive player. But a different defender is getting hyped up for what he thinks will be a big season. Still, the defense gives rise to the Chargers’ biggest reason to panic after the start of the 2025 NFL training camp.
It turned out to be a good season for the Chargers in 2024. But head coach Jim Harbaugh and the team want bigger and better things. For that to happen, they will need to defense to step up and consistently make plays. That’s because the offense isn’t a sure bet to win shootouts.
And it’s possible the defense won’t be able to answer the bell, according to bleacherreport.com. Quite bluntly, things could go south in a hurry, according to Brad Gagnon.
“The league's No. 1 scoring defense from 2024 is exposed as phony in several awful late-season performances and becomes a major weakness,” Gagnon wrote.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh needs defense to step up
Good performances from rookies would help. And the Chargers got that from undrafted cornerback Nikko Reed in the team’s preseason game, according to chargers.com.
“Derwin [James] said it right, Derwin said [Reed’s] a baller,” Harbaugh said. “Really happy for his success tonight.
“To Nikko's credit, there's a lot of guys who might not be working through something. He's been working through stuff and still playing good. That bodes well. You start thinking about him as a real football player.”
Reed picked off a pass and returned it 60 yards in the first quarter of last week’s game.
“Man, it felt great,” Reed said. “First NFL game as a rookie, third down, money down. I felt the route, knew it, and just went. Seen the ball, grabbed it, and went.
“I read it. And I felt like he was going to do that. As soon as I seen him break out, jumped under it, and I saw the ball. I’m always hoping to score, but I was thinking about it too much. I should have scored.”
If Reed makes the team, he could be an added boost that helps the Chargers' defense avoid sinking.
“Of course I want to make the 53[-man roster], but I like to live in the moment,” Reed said. “I just take it one day at a time, one foot in front of another. I got to do everything I got to do to make that team, but I got to get through the day first.”
Where do the Chargers rank among the NFL’s defenses?
Of course, it depends on who you listen to when assessing the Chargers’ hopes for 2025. Despite ranking No. 2 in 2024, nfl.com didn’t include the Chargers in its top-10 rankings for this season.
However, others view the Chargers in the underrated group, according to nytimes.com.
“Defensively, look for tone-setting linebacker Daiyan Henley to build on last season’s career year while rookies Jamaree Caldwell and Kyle Kennard help bolster the front seven,” Mike Jones wrote.
One thing is for sure about the Chargers’ defense: safety Derwin James is the key player. Cornerback Donte Jackson said James knows the game and plays it well, according to chargers.com.
“I think DJ's brain is a football,” Jackson said. “Literally, you open his head, there's probably a football in there. “That dude has been awesome. When you talk about knowing every position, learning front and back, everything, you would think he's been in this defense for five-plus years, but it's only his second year.
“I think that's the reason I'm so in it now, because you're playing with a guy like DJ,” Jackson added. “You can only match his speed. (And) you get left in the dust not doing what he's doing. You want to know something, how to do something, you look at No. 3. He's literally the standard, he's literally Charger football.”
Jackson even went as far as to say James is basically flawless in the secondary.
“He will never let you be wrong,” Jackson said. “He knows the defense front and back, every single position from the linebackers to what the front is doing, what the safety is doing, the corners are doing. Even though I know everything, he's still out there.
“It's been amazing just to work with that guy, see him every day, see how he composes himself, see how he asks questions, how he answers questions in meetings. When you get to play with a guy on such a Hall of Fame-type level, you always want to take every day.
“Me and DJ came in the same year, and I still look at him to learn stuff to know the standard of how football is played here. That guy is literally the standard.”
However, the Chargers’ pass rush is a question mark. They still have Khalil Mack, who ranks No. 10 among edge rushers in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
“What Khalil Mack continues to do at age 33 is nothing short of remarkable,” Ryan Smith wrote. “He earned a 90.2 overall PFF grade in 2024, ranking second among edge defenders in run-defense grade (87.7), behind only T.J. Watt. Mack also recorded 50-plus pressures for the 10th time in his career, the lone exception being 2021 when a season-ending foot injury limited him to just seven games.”
