Los Angeles Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson has had a rough start to the 2023 NFL season. So far, he has been dominated by Tyreek Hill and has a warrant issued for his arrest. Jackson’s issues on the field continue as head coach Brandon Staley chose to bench the corner in the game against the Minnesota Vikings last week. This rubbed Jackson the wrong way, and has made a statement about the issue.
J.C. Jackson’s Thoughts
The Chargers Corner sounded off to NFL.com on Wednesday, saying, “I don’t know, what else do they expect me to do? I told Coach (Brandon Staley) what else do you want me to do? I’ve been doing everything. I came back from my injury pretty fast. I’ve been putting in extra work after practice, even in meeting rooms. The DBs every Friday we all meet to do extra film and being a good teammate, so I don’t know what it is. I’m still kind of confused and still don’t have answers to why I’m getting treated like this.”
Jackson suffered a torn patellar tendon in week seven last season and has been trying to get back to 100% health ever since. He still believes that he can play to the level that the Chargers expected him to when they first signed him.
Is LA Better Off Without Him?
In the first two weeks of this season, Los Angeles allowed 110.0 and 123.3 passer ratings to the Miami Dolphins and the Tennessee Titans. But in week 3, when J.C. was not playing, those numbers decreased significantly to a rating of 97.7, showing that Jackson might be a part of the Chargers’ defensive struggles.
Brandon Staley after the win in week three told reporters, “We felt like this was the right group for this game,” addressing why the Chargers did not play Jackson. After the Chargers Corner made these comments public, Staley assured reporters that this decision had nothing to do with the warrant out for Jackson after he failed to appear in court for traffic charges. Chargers’ fans have also been very vocal about how the Corner has been a huge letdown to the city of Los Angeles.
Will Jackson Play?
It is unclear if J.C. Jackson will participate in the Chargers’ week four matchup against their AFC West foe, the Las Vegas Raiders. With the arrest warrant and not being able to perform at a high level in games, it looks more like Jackson will not be playing.
The Chargers have already proven that they perform better defensively without Jackson in the lineup, so they shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks to put him in the game. However, Brandon Staley is the head coach and is known for taking horrible risks that jeopardize their chance of winning.
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