Jim Harbaugh’s strategy to instill confidence in his Chargers stars, ‘he’s the best I’ve ever seen’

Jim Harbaugh believes Derwin James is the best safety he’s ever seen, as the Chargers’ roster confidence blooms

The LA Chargers are off to a flying start in the 2025 NFL season, now 2-0 with wins over two of their division rivals.

Justin Herbert and the offense dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense in their season opener in Brazil, with the Chargers quarterback throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns on the night.

Wide receiver Quentin Johnston is one of the greatest examples of redefined success among Chargers players, catching two touchdown passes in that game to kickstart the year.

Johnston had struggled desperately in his rookie season, and his confidence appeared to have hit rock bottom. Once he settled into life with Jim Harbaugh, he appeared reborn, and has now caught three touchdowns in the first two games of the season.

Harbaugh directed his support towards safety Derwin James this week, praising his performance in the win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

After the game, Harbaugh said the All-Pro safety was “flying around” all night, suggesting he was “the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League.”

When asked what it was that he respected so much about James as a player, Harbaugh elaborated:

““It’s like being around greatness every day, whether it’s the practice environment, the training environment, the meeting environment, the way he is on the sideline, and mostly, the way he is during the game. He’s incredible. “

“It’s just enthusiasm unknown to mankind. When he tackles, he gets him down. He can cover, he can play any position in the in the secondary. I guess what jumps out the most is he can play nickel, he can play dime backer, he could play corner, he could play in the deep half, he can play in the deep middle, he can blitz.”

Harbaugh compared Derwin James to Superman after a stunning performance against the Raiders

Harbaugh went on to compare Derwin James to Superman, and that kind of support from your head coach has to work wonders for a player’s confidence on the field.

James was named a second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2024, during his first season under Harbaugh. His elite performance is already bleeding into 2025, and the Chargers are deploying him all over the field to allow him to make plays and impact the game.

He had a pass breakup on Jakobi Meyers in the endzone, and was racking up tackles around the line of scrimmage that helped to limit the Raiders’ offense all night.