The NFL, deciding that this Saturday was a little too slow for their liking, have decided to go all in on player fines. Next up is Derwin James, safety for the Los Angeles Chargers, who is the latest victim of the NFL’s fining spree, per Tom Pelissero.
The NFL fined #Chargers safety Derwin James $43,710 for unnecessary roughness — a hit on #Lions WR Josh Reynolds last week. James is considered a repeat offender.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 18, 2023
How Will This Impact The Los Angeles Chargers’ Defense?
It will not.
What Did Derwin James Do?
Great question! Derwin James is known for being one of the most ultra-athletic, instinctive and hard-hitting safeties in the entire National Football League. This is why the Los Angeles Chargers felt comfortable re-signing him to a premium 4 year, $76,000,000 contract last year.
However, the NFL is right about one thing, he is somewhat of a repeat offender, having to go so far as clarify his playing style publicly in response to criticism.
Earlier today, the NFL laid fines to Odell Beckham Jr. (for the grave offense of throwing up a peace sign) and Neville Gallimore – having been ejected for the same foul in-game.
Ultimately, these string of offenses all point to the general trend, which is that the league is moving away from bigger hits and more towards preserving and prioritizing player safety, which to an extent, is undoubtedly a good thing to an extent.
Yet, if the league becomes too dogmatic about hits in a sport which is, by nature, overtly physical, we could see a big spike in the amount of overly cautious fines and penalties, much like the roughing-the-passer penalties onslaught from last year – although league owners rejected a proposal to make them reviewable in the offseason.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see where things go from here in regards to both Derwin James and player aggression fines in general.
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