Why Chargers made lineup change with Derwin James vs. Falcons

Chris Roling | 2 Hours Ago

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Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers made an interesting lineup tweak with star defender Derwin James for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

As pointed out by The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, it was Tony Jefferson getting the nod at starting safety in the lineup, while James went over to the nickel.

Jefferson just got signed to the active roster from the practice squad after safety Alohi Gilman went to injured reserve.

This fun wrinkle in the Jesse Minter defense lets them get James, one of the bigger defensive backs out there, on the field with two other safeties in certain packages. It keeps him on the line of scrimmage where he can make the most impact in all facets of the game, which was especially important going into a running attack like the one the Falcons boast.

The shakeup paid off in a big way, too. The Chargers had mostly held the Falcons in check going into the fourth quarter and both Jefferson and James were near the team lead in tackles on the day.

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