The Chargers have suffered through the sting of the injury bug all season. They have been dealing with their two top receivers in and out of the lineup or losing numerous defensive tackles.

Throughout the week safety Derwin James was a non-participant in practice due to a quad injury. Chargers coach Brandon Staley said the injury has lingered since the matchup against Arizona.

When asked if it was severe on Wednesday, Staley said the following:

“We’ll see,” Staley said.

Clearly, it is because the safety is doubtful heading into Sunday night’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins. If James can’t go, that means the Chargers not only suffer missing the best safety in the league but a player who plays five different positions.

The Chargers would have to count on Alohi Gilman and Nasir Adderley as the starters with J.T. Woods as the third man in the rotation.

“Very confident in those guys,” Defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill said. “They have game experience. I think that they play well together. You can hear their communication out there with those two, they’re echoing it. I think that they know that they need to do a little bit more of that if Derwin [James Jr.] is not there, so the more that they can emphasize it and have everybody on the same page, I think that is going to allow those guys to play at a high level this week.”

The defense will need to slow down Dolphins receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle without James may be difficult.

“It’ll be a big challenge for us, regardless of if we had all of our players out there,” Staley said. “They have a very good skill group. They’ve been prolific scoring the football, moving the football.”

The Chargers did receive some good news with receiver Mike Williams being a full go come Sunday. The offense has missed his production since he has been out with an ankle injury that he suffered against Seattle. He returned for two drives against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Just having him back out there, the energy he brings, it’s always good for the team,” quarterback Justin Herbert said.

Having both Williams and Keenan Allen should help quarterback Justin Herbert, who has only had them for 49 snaps this season. Herbert’s numbers are still top in the league, but the offense has struggled without Allen and Williams.

The most significant benefit of Williams’s return means that Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter may be able to get open more often, with Allen and Williams getting most of the attention.

“It’s going to be amazing because [WR] Josh [Palmer] has been a guy who has been making plays for us week-in and week-out all season with me and Mike [Williams] being injured,” Allen said. “You get all three of us on the field, and now you have to double [coverage] me and Mike or maybe even Mike and Josh. Somebody is going to get a single [coverage] that we really like, and it’s going to be fun.”

The Chargers defense will also be without slot corner Bryce Callahan (groin) and defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (knee) as they are both doubtful, so those are two players that mean a lot to the defense.

“It’s always challenging when you lose guys like Sebastian [Joseph-Day], understanding what he means to the interior of our defense,” edge rusher Khalil Mack said. “It’s just going to be all hands on board and making sure we have guys coming in that can come in and make an impact right away in the run game.”

On the offensive side, besides Williams returning center Corey Linsley, who missed a game due to a concussion, is back and will man the offensive line. They will be without right tackle Trey Pipkins who is still nursing a knee injury.

The defense will be without three major players, especially their signal caller and leader in James. It will be a tough matchup, but they will continue emphasizing the next man-up mentality.

Nuts N’ Bolts

• Chargers injury report vs. Miami. DOUBTFUL: S Derwin James (quad), DL Sebastian Joseph-Day (knee), T Trey Pipkins (knee), CB Bryce Callahan (groin).