Derwin James is suspended for violating NFL rules, however, his head coach is still proud of him! During the third quarter of Sunday’s Steelers vs Chargers, the safety allegedly lowered his head and “made a forcible contact with Pittsburgh TE Pat Freiermuth with his helmet.”

This resulted in his suspension during one upcoming game, i.e. with the Chiefs, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “without pay for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players.” Nevertheless, coach Jim Harbaugh still seems fine with James’ play, as he recently defended the 28-year-old.

Jim Harbaugh wants Derwin James to continue with his aggressiveness?

In a recent Chargers’ press conference on September 23, 2024, head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked about Derwin James, specifically regarding a personal foul penalty during a drive against the Steelers. The reporter mentioned that James had struggled with penalties in the past and also worked on improving his technique in the offseason. However, the reporter’s concern was, is there something else he could have done on that “unnecessary roughness” and how is Harbaugh sure that he is fitting with the rules? To which the coach responded, “He’s [Derwin James] playing. He has found that sweet spot of playing very, very aggressively and within the rules all at the same time. That’s what I’ve noticed.”

In addition to that, Harbaugh praised James for finding the right balance in his game. Furthermore, the 60-year-old highlighted that he showed yesterday how versatile he is, playing different positions like nickel, dime, safety, and making plays all over the field. Hence, Harbaugh believes James is “doing everything that he should and can be doing.” So, does that mean Jim Harbaugh is comfortable with James’ aggressiveness? Well, at least by the statements he put today, it feels the coach is happy that Derwin James is finding his way to balance everything without getting suspended, and Harbaugh is proud of him.

And guess what? Not only Jim Harbaugh, but Derwin James too thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong in the Steelers game.

Derwin James believes he shouldn’t have been penalized

After Chargers safety Derwin James hit Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth, the safety was flagged for unnecessary roughness. However, James himself believed he shouldn’t have been penalized for that. Explaining his point, in a post-game press conference, he expressed, “Like I said, I don’t want to keep the drive going. I’m trying to get the guy on the ground. I don’t feel like I hit him in the head or neck, but we’ll look at it.” But his argument was ignored, and NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan sent him a letter for it.

This letter read, “You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.” He warned him about repeatedly breaking the rules. Hence, the letter made it clear that the NFL won’t tolerate his actions anymore. It further emphasized that serious penalties are necessary when players keep violating safety rules, especially when those violations could cause injuries to others. Hence, the NFL thinks that the way Derwin James hit Freiermuth, he should be suspended for it.

Well, historically, over his six successful years, Derwin James had never been suspended for his unnecessary roughness. So, this is his first-ever NFL suspension. But that doesn’t mean he has never been fined as well. In the past, the NFL has fined James five times, in which he had to pay a total of about $127,792. Consequently, in order to avoid additional suspensions or fines, it is crucial for Derwin James to stay vigilant about his game plays.