The star defensive back J.C. Jackson of the Los Angeles Chargers had high expectations in his first season with his new team. However, his season could not have gone much worse in 2022 with on and off-the-field problems.
Jackson is doing all he can to make sure he will bounce back this season by watching film and staying close with the team throughout his long recovery process.
Jackson, unfortunately, had one of the worst knee injuries by tearing his patellar tendon in week seven last season against the Seahawks. This injury can last in most cases from six months to a year in the rehab process.
Jackson’s injury was more on the severe side, which is why he was given about eight months expected to be recovered.
The main concern is that this injury is one that some athletes do not ever fully recover from.
In 2014, Victor Cruz of the Giants suffered this same injury. He had other injuries as well, but it ultimately led to his retirement at the age of 32.
Luckily, Jackson is only 27 years old, which does have a significant impact on his ability to recover in comparison to Cruz.
It was very optimistic to know that Jackson is back on the field doing individual drills.
The expectations are that by training camp he will be more prepared than last season, where he was coming off a last-second surgery on a lingering ankle issue.
Jackson is at around 7 ½ months since the devastating knee injury last season. This leaves him two weeks away from the expected time of recovery, with training camp starting in over a month.
The injury timetables are usually not exactly correct, but Jackson recently was quoted saying he is right on track with his recovery.
It is possible that Jackson is a bit ahead of the expected timeframe with this recent quote via Twitter.
Jackson himself recently said, “I hadn’t done anything. Got hurt. And I just got paid. I mean, I still gotta prove to my teammates and to myself that I’m still ‘Mr. INT.’
This summarized last season for him while sneaking in what he knows he’s capable of.
He was nicknamed ‘Mr. INT’ for a reason. Jackson ranks at the top of the list in total interceptions the last four seasons, including last season where he had zero.
Patriots’ future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick is known for having an elite man-to-man corner lock down a side of the field while they can focus more on the other side. Jackson fit right in, locking down the league’s best receivers while in New England.
Last season, the Chargers had to rely on second-year corner Asante Samuel Jr. to lock down a team’s number one receiver week to week. Samuel shined in some weeks while he struggled in others, such as against Davante Adams and the Raiders.
A healthy Jackson allows the Chargers to play Jackson on the best receiver, Samuel in the slot where he is more comfortable, and last season’s breakout Michael Davis on the outside as well.
The Chargers already have the league’s top safety in Derwin James. The addition of another top defensive back to a top 10 ranked defense last season adds trouble to opposing quarterbacks.
Featured image courtesy of NFL.com
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