Chargers' Derwin James cleared for full participation coming off torn meniscus

Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James earned All-Pro honors as a rookie in 2018 but has since played in only five games because of injury setbacks. 

On Monday, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley told reporters that James is cleared for full participation at the start of organized team activities coming off the torn meniscus he suffered in September. 

"He looks great," Staley said of James, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "He sounds great — as you know one of his strengths as a football player is his leadership and that energy that he gives everybody each and every day. So you can see that he’s a multiplier out there. I mean, from the minute that I got hired, I met this guy at my press conference and I felt better about our chances. So when he’s out there, our chances increase by a whole bunch.

"I think that he’s ready to play, and what we’ve tried to do is create a really sound approach for his comeback. And today was a big step for him. He was cleared for full participation and he’s had a tremendous offseason, looks great, and looking forward to a lot more from him." 

James was limited to five contests during the 2019 campaign due to a stress fracture in his foot and missed all of last season. The Chargers exercised the fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract in late April.