EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James is heading into this week’s game against the Denver Broncos with eye-popping praise from coach Jim Harbaugh.
“He’s the best safety I’ve ever seen,” Harbaugh said earlier this week.
James' impact on the defense will be even more crucial Sunday when the Denver Broncos (1-1) come to Sofi Stadium since linebacker Khalil Mack is on injured reserve and will miss the first of at least four games after suffering a dislocated elbow in the Chargers’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night.
Harbaugh’s lofty praise didn’t go unnoticed.
“I don’t take that lightly because I know Coach Harbaugh doesn’t just say stuff like that,” James said. “I know what type of guy he is. I know if he says it, he really believes it, so I don’t take that lightly. That’s a lot of respect coming from him. My peers and my teammates and my coaches, that’s who I do it for, and the fans and my family, as long as they respect me and they hold me in high regard, I’m happy. I just want to keep showing up every day and prove to him why he made that statement and do my part.”
The Chargers defense played well after Mack left the game in the first quarter of a 20-9 win, and James knows that must continue if the team can improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2002. That season, the Chargers finished 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs.
James is second on the team in tackles with 14, including eight solo tackles. Asked who the best safety is that he’s ever seen, the seventh-year pro said: “Sean Taylor, rest in peace. But physically, I probably have to go with Ed Reed. My favorite was Sean Taylor.”
Mack’s presence is still being felt in the building. He was at practice Thursday and in the locker room. He’s an unofficial coach, too.
“There’s no replacing Khalil Mack on or off the field,” safety Tony Jefferson said. “Collectively as a unit, some of the younger guys and other guys, it’s their time to step up. I think I’m a prime example of someone going down and you have to step in and there can’t be a drop-off. Collectively everyone has to come together and do a little more when you lose the heartbeat of the defense.”
Jefferson was signed off the practice squad Thursday and played in the game against the Raiders, too.
Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter hopes for a similar effort that can match a defense that didn’t allow a touchdown last week. The Raiders kicked three field goals.
Mack didn’t play the final three quarters, so the Chargers have shown they can play well even without their star.
“It’s a tough loss because Khalil is so valuable, so important,” Minter said. “I think we have tried to preach the depth that we have and our confidence in a lot of players in the room. When something happens to somebody it’s an opportunity for somebody else. I feel great about that room. I think Kyle Kennard is going to get a great opportunity to show what he can do. We’ll let those guys get settled in.
“Like anything, when we have this type of room and type of guys, happening in the game, how would Khalil want us to play and what would he want our mindset to be? He wouldn’t want us to worry one ounce about him and just play the way we know we can play. We’ll try to honor him, honestly, while he’s out.”
Last season, the 34-year-old Mack had 39 tackles and six sacks. The Chargers are relieved Mack wasn’t lost for the season. His words and mentorship are valuable, too.
“Coach Mack? The coolest thing to me was Coach talked about the way he handled that right when it happened,” Minter said. “The biggest surprise to me is when you see something like that, I want to say within 30 minutes he’s back on the sideline coaching the guys up, sitting next to guys on the bench looking at the iPad. That is the ultimate team guy. He’ll continue to do that and he’s back at meetings. It’s great for our guys to see how important it is to him. He’ll do whatever he can to help out. Blessed to have a guy like that.”
Justin Herbert and the Chargers are rolling, averaging 23.5 points per game, tied for 11th in the league. The defense won’t need to pitch a shutout, just be good.
The Chargers have already taken down the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil and the Raiders on "Monday Night Football." They have a third consecutive game against an AFC West rival Sunday. And a 3-0 record would set up the Chargers nicely for a run at the division title.
“You only play six of them and this will be the third one,” James said. “You have to make them all count. Not like every game isn’t important but these division games mean a lot.”
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Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. during the second half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. celebrates after their win against the Kansas City Chiefs after an NFL football game, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.
The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the rarely used federal law to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.
Presidents have indeed invoked the Insurrection Act more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison responded to Trump's post by saying he would challenge any deployment in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December. ICE is a DHS agency.
In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.
Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
Frey said the federal force — five times the size of the city’s 600-officer police force — has “invaded” Minneapolis, and that residents are scared and angry.
Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.
Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.
Police chief Brian O’Hara said the shot man was being treated for a non-life-threatening injury. The two others are in custody, DHS said. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security.
Earlier Wednesday, Gov. Tim Walz described Minnesota said what's happening in the state “defies belief.”
“Let’s be very, very clear: this long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” he said. “Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”
Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who killed Good, suffered internal bleeding to his torso during the encounter, a Homeland Security official told The Associated Press.
The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity in order to discuss Ross’ medical condition. The official did not provide details about the severity of the injuries, and the agency did not respond to questions about the bleeding, how he suffered the injury, when it was diagnosed or his medical treatment.
Good was killed after three ICE officers surrounded her SUV on a snowy street near her home. Bystander video shows one officer ordering Good to open the door and grabbing the handle. As the vehicle begins to move forward, Ross, standing in front, raises his weapon and fires at least three shots at close range. He steps back as the SUV advances and turns.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said Ross was struck by the vehicle and that Good was using her SUV as a weapon — a self-defense claim that has been criticized by Minnesota officials.
Chris Madel, an attorney for Ross, declined to comment.
Good’s family has hired the same law firm that represented George Floyd’s family in a $27 million settlement with Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black, died after a white police officer pinned his neck to the ground 2020.
Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Julie Watson in San Diego; Rebecca Santana in Washington; Ed White in Detroit and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis contributed.
A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
