Chargers

The Chargers signed S Derwin James to a record three-year, $75.6 million deal this week. Los Angeles GM Joe Hortiz said James is a “special leader” and compared him to QB Justin Herbert in that regard. 

“He’s just a special, special leader and person. Like Justin, the talent is real and it’s there but the leadership and motivation and energy he gives to everybody within the organization and throughout the entire budling is so unique. One of the best I’ve ever been around in terms of leadership, character and talent,” Hortiz said, via Eric Smith of the team’s site. 

Dolphins

Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Dolphins DBs coach Ryan Downard outlined their safety depth, which lacks established starters.

• Starting with second-year player Dante Trader Jr., Downard highlighted his physicality and intelligence: “Very promising. I love Trader. He’s extremely focused on getting better in every little facet. He brings an element of physicality, which we look for in the safeties. He’s very intelligent.”
• Downard said Lonnie Johnson Jr. is the veteran of the room heading into year five: “Lonnie brings a vet presence to the room. His size [6-2, 221] is an advantage. He’s a bigger safety that can still move, which we’ve seen in the drills. His attitude in the room sets the course for the room.”
• After having Zayne Anderson in Green Bay, Downard knows he’s more than just a special teams player: “We knew he had the traits to be a good safety. If you asked him, after he got time to study the techniques and what we were trying to get done, he really took off… We had a really good safety room in Green Bay; there were guys in front of him. He showed up in [a 2024] Saints game and showed up in the Detroit game; there was a third-and-1, and he made a huge play. When he got in the games, that’s when we’re like, ‘OK, he can actually go in this in a game.’ We verified it in games.”
• Regarding fifth-rounder Michael Taaffe, Downard loves his production and advanced knowledge, but admits it’s hard to step in and start at safety from the jump: “Extremely intelligent; that jumped out the first meeting I had. The level of conversation I had with him was very advanced. When we asked him to recall and take it one step further in the meeting, he did that… He had a lot of ball production in college. He can check a lot of boxes… it’s hard for a rookie to come in and play the safety position.”

Steelers

Steelers reporter Mike Kaboly said that LB Patrick Queen and DB Jalen Ramsey will likely be playing their final season in Pittsburgh this year.

“That’s a conversation to have. We will see what happens after the season,” Kaboly said, via Steelers Wire. “I can pretty much assure you, well I don’t want to say assure you, but indications point heavily to Queen and Ramsey being gone after this year.“