The Chargers made a number of headline-grabbing defensive additions this offseason, including a big-money signing for cornerback J.C. Jackson. It appears unlikely that his Los Angeles debut will take place this Sunday, however. 
Jackson had surgery performed on his ankle last month, a somewhat surprising procedure given the lack of injury concerns dating back to his Patriots tenure. As a result, Jackson’s Week 1 availability was placed in doubt despite the team’s insistence that it was not made necessary by an ailment.
When speaking to the media recently, general manager Tom Telesco confirmed via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper (subscription required) that the vaguely-defined ankle issue sprung up during training camp and was unrelated to his four years in New England.
“He never had any problems with it before” Telesco added, when asked about Jackson’s physical taken around the time of his free agent signing. “You don’t X-ray and MRI every single joint, but you do for the ones that have had issues earlier.” Regarding the decision to have the surgery done, he said, “We didn’t wait; it just started bothering [Jackson]. Just decided it was bothering him too much.”
The terms of his contract – five years, $82.5MM with $40MM guaranteed – made Jackson one of the top defensive players to change teams in March, and a key part of the Chargers’ heavy investments on that side of the ball. The league’s top ballhawk since his career began in 2018, the 26-year-old racked up 25 interceptions and 53 pass breakups with the Patriots.
The start to his Chargers tenure will probably need to wait at least one more week due to the recovery timeline of the surgery, though. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirms (via Twitter), Jackson should be available “soon,” but Week 1 would be an unrealistic target. In his absence, Los Angeles will likely turn to a starting trio of Michael Davis along with Asante Samuel Jr. and Bryce Callahan against the Raiders.
