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COSTA MESA Chris Doleman Jersey , Calif. (AP) If it was up to Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James, his training camp debut would have happened before Thursday.

The Chargers decided to be cautious with their first-round draft pick as he recovered from a minor hamstring strain and delayed James’ first workout in pads.

”I feel like I was ready Monday, but you know it’s an ongoing process.” James said. ”You never know with those soft tissue injuries, so I know they got my back. They only want what’s best.”

James sustained the injury one week prior to the start of training camp while working out on his own, but there was no hint the former Florida State standout was limited in any way. During a position drill, James even joined his fellow defensive backs in an impromptu dance party.

In the team period, James was smooth and explosive in limited repetitions to earn praise from head coach Anthony Lynn.

”He looks good,” Lynn said. ”He looks good in his uniform. I mean, he’s a good-looking safety, but it’s just good to see him back out there because he had such a good offseason.”

The decision to be cautious with James was understandable after cornerback Jason Verrett sustained a torn Achilles tendon during a conditioning test last week before the start of training camp. Trevor Williams, a possible replacement for Verrett, sustained an ankle injury on Tuesday, but Lynn said it was not a high-ankle sprain and that Williams could return in a week.

James acknowledged some frustration at missing the start of his first training camp, but recognized why the Chargers would not want to risk having the injury linger into the regular season. Instead Rex Burkhead Jersey , he is focused on making the most of his time going forward.

”They know what I can do,” James said. ”They drafted me in the first round for a reason. Just really come out here and become a master of my craft, learn my movements and be where I’m supposed to be on the field.”

With James on the field, the Chargers can start to figure out their safety pairings in earnest. Tre Boston started 15 games last season, but was not re-signed in free agency. James was drafted No. 17 overall to fill that vacancy and play next to incumbent Jahleel Addae.

James is learning how to play as both a free safety and a strong safety right now, but Addae said differentiating between the two positions can be overblown in coordinator Gus Bradley’s 4-3 defense.

”Coach always says it best,” Addae said. ”We don’t have no strong safety, we don’t have no free safety. We just have safeties. All of us are interchangeable.”

James credited Addae and the other Chargers defensive backs with helping him adjust quickly to the NFL.

”I sit right behind him in the meeting room and I try to pick his brain, and he don’t mind helping me,” James said. ”He’s a great guy. Adrian Phillips, he helps me. Our whole DB room and our coaches that we have are great people to be around, and they only want what’s best.”

Still, James compared the learning process to feeding a baby.

”They give me a little spoonful, and then I got to wait a little bit Willie Roaf Jersey , and they give me some more,” James said.

NOTES: The Chargers signed receiver Marcus Peterson and cornerback Channing Stribling on Thursday after placing Verrett and tight end Austin Roberts (torn ACL) on injured reserve.

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NAPA, Calif. (AP) — As he squares off against first-round draft pick Kolton Miller almost daily in training camp, Oakland Raiders rookie defensive end Arden Key rarely uses the same move twice.

On one play, Key takes a jab-step inside then spins around to Miller’s outside shoulder and speeds past the big left tackle. A few moments later, Key bull-rushes his way between Miller and another offensive lineman with little resistance.

It’s not an indictment of Miller so much as it is a credit to Key, the Raiders’ third-round draft pick who has been one of the early stars in training camp.

“We love Key,” Oakland coach Jon Gruden said Monday. “We’ve liked Key ever since the draft process. We felt lucky to get him where we got him. There’s some things this kid can do that are very special. Hopefully, we get full strength someday at the defensive end position and we can show our true colors.”

Gruden was referring to defensive end Khalil Mack, who is entering the final year of his contract and is holding out for a new deal.

Mack, the 2016 defensive player of the year, has been the Raiders’ best pass-rusher for the past four seasons. In hopes of giving him some help up front, the team used three of it first six draft picks to acquire Key along with defensive tackles P.J. Hall (second round) and Maurice Hurst (fifth round).

Oakland also moved Bruce Irvin from outside linebacker to right defensive end, the same position as Key. The two men formed a close bond Joe Staley Jersey , with Irvin serving as a mentor to Key.

Irvin compares Key to Aldon Smith, the talented but troubled former Raiders linebacker who had 33 ½ sacks in his first two NFL seasons before off-field issues forced him out of the league.

Like Smith, Key wears jersey No. 99.

“He’s a really natural rusher,” Irvin said. “He reminds me a lot of the old 99 that was here. If he keeps his head on straight, which he will, he’s going to be a hell of a player and a hell of a player for the Raiders. Can’t wait to see what he’s going to do this year.”

Irvin is among a number of Oakland players and coaches who have repeatedly praised Key during camp.

The 22-year-old has tried to keep it all in perspective. Key buries his head in the playbook and has been pouring over film of other pass-rushers, trying to find new tricks to add to his arsenal of pass-rush moves.

“I look at a lot of pass-rushers to try to steal some of their moves and try them in one-on-one,” Key said. “If it works it works and if I like it, it’s going to stick with me.”

Getting around an offensive tackle, Key said, is much like a chess match.

“I always work on one move first and see if he beats it,” Key said. “If he beats that then I’m going to counter with something else. If he beats my counter move then I’ve got to counter with another counter.”

The Raiders have also had Key lining up in the three-technique over a guard, giving the defense more speed for the interior rush.

“He’s a stud, I’ll put it that way T.J. McDonald Jersey ,” linebacker Tahir Whitehead said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic. He can go inside, he can go outside. I’m excited to see him go out there in the first game and let it rip.”

As for his ongoing battles against Miller, Key said the competition has been heating up between the two rookies.

“Kolton gets better every day,” Key said. “From the first day we went against each to now, it’s just gotten so much better. Now I have to dig in my tool box to try to pick different moves to use on him.”

Notes: The Raiders will host two joint practices with the Detroit Lions beginning Tuesday. . RB DeAndre Washington has left the team for personal reasons but is expected back soon. . The team waived defensive back Shaquille Richardson and signed cornerback Raysean Pringle. . Gavin Newsome, a candidate for California governor, attended practice and chatted with owner Mark Davis.

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