The Los Angeles Chargers are seeing much change in their roster from the last regime to their current one. While this is an obvious effect of hiring new staff, it’s surprising to see the players they choose to stay and who they choose to go. One of the potential players that could be gone after seeing a new regime come into town is former All-Rookie team return man, Derius Davis.
Could This Former Chargers Fourth-Round Pick Be Cut?
As a former fourth-round selection who has shown potential even on offense, why would he even be considered to be cut?
Reasons For Derius Davis To Get Cut
The previous mention of the new regime is obviously to show that loyalty to players before them is quite minimal. Just look at the entire Keenan Allen situation, and Allen is/was a Chargers legend. Davis is still trying to become one in his own right, having much more to prove than Allen did going into his third season.
Beyond the loyalty reasons, Davis has struggled with injuries throughout his young career, fighting through multiple hamstring injuries that have hampered his ability in year two, especially. If these keep stacking up, his long-term viability could be of concern, especially considering his smaller stature of 5’8 165.
The last major reason for the Chargers’ return man to be moved on from in 2025 is the fact of roster construction. The Chargers are very unlikely to keep seven receivers once again on their final 53-man roster.
With the WR room stacking up to be: Ladd McConkey, Tre Harris, Quentin Johnston, Mike Williams, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Derius Davis, Brenden Rice, Luke Grimm and other practice squad competitors, Davis will have real competition with players like Lambert-Smith and Grimm for the return man spot + WR5/6.
Reasons For Derius Davis To Stay On The Team
On the positive side of things, Derius still shows promise and upside on offense as well as proof that he is his rookie self in the return game. On offense, the Chargers’ return man was able to show flashes, catching back-to-back touchdowns late in the season, coupled with a season total of 13 catches for 112 yards.
During the preseason of 2024, he scored an incredible 70-yard end-around rushing touchdown, showing some interesting ability as a gadget player. This offensive ability could give Jim Harbaugh and company hope that his development continues and he can become a real interesting threat in this Chargers offense.
Furthermore, going back to the roster construction side of things pertaining to the Chargers’ 2025 final 53-man roster, all of his competitors for his spot have all yet to return a kick or punt in the NFL. Rice does have a somewhat lengthy resume as a return man in college, but as for Grimm and Lambert-Smith, they have next to nothing in their collegiate careers.
That said, weaker competition and a trending up potential for Davis could very well give him the edge to make the final roster later this off-season, but there is plenty of off-season to go through before a true decision could be made.
Main Image: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
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