Derwin James quells all injury concerns at Chargers practice

Injuries have plagued the LA Chargers all season and on Thursday, it looked as if Derwin James was the latest victim of this Bolts epidemic. James injured his ankle early in Thursday's game against the Minnesota Vikings and was seen in a walking boot that night.

Walking boots have been a bad sign for the Chargers this season. Joe Alt sported one after his Week 4 injury and missed the next three games. Omarion Hampton needed one after his ankle injury and was still in it weeks later.

Thankfully, it does not appear that James fell victim to the same walking boot curse that his teammates did. In a surprising turn of events, James participated in Chargers practice on Tuesday.

Chargers avoided a serious Derwin James injury

James didn't just practice for the Chargers on Tuesday, he looked like his normal self. It's clear the extra days to recover after Thursday's game were for the best, as this would not have been the case if he had suffered the injury on Sunday.

Suddenly, the perspective has shifted from James potentially missing multiple weeks to not even missing a game. While he has to get through the rest of the week, it seems more likely than not that James will play in Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans.

James' availability is even more important given the other injuries the Chargers are dealing with in the secondary. Cornerback Tarheeb Still suffered a knee injury on Thursday and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. Tony Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury, although the severity is unclear. Elijah Molden is playing through a finger injury.

The Chargers are still preparing to need more safety help in Sunday's game. The Bolts signed veteran safety Marcus Williams, who has a Baltimore Ravens connection with GM Joe Hortiz, to the practice squad on Tuesday. His participation on Sunday is not guaranteed, but he is there if the Chargers need him.

That seems unlikely, at least for James. The star safety is passing all the early tests to play on Sunday, giving Jesse Minter his defensive Swiss Army Knife that makes the entire defense hum.

James' status will undoubtedly be a storyline as the week leads into Sunday. Thankfully, this storyline is a positive one for the Chargers.