On Thursday, Brandon Staley spoke at the Chargers’ media availability for the first time since J.C. Jackson was traded to the Patriots last week. Staley opened his press conference by responding to the first question about Jackson by saying this:
We just felt like this was the best course for our team. There was a body of work to go off of. We felt like this direction was the best for our football team.
When asked to clarify if “body of work” meant on-the-field or off-the-field concerns, Staley said, “In all ways.”
The Chargers head coach was also asked about Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero’s report, which stated that Jackson had refused to enter the game against the Raiders when Michael Davis injured his ankle.
Staley refused to comment, saying, “I’m not talking anymore about J.C. We’re moving forward as a team, and that’s behind us.”
Staley also said that the Chargers fully believe in their secondary group without Jackson:
We believe in that group. That group is where we’ve played our best football as a team since we’ve been here. We have full trust in those guys. Those guys have played really well together. Now, they get to play together full time.
Michael Davis, Asante Samuel Jr., and Ja’Sir Taylor will attempt to hold down the secondary as the Chargers move forward. Deane Leonard and newly signed cornerback Essang Bassey will be the depth players in the room.
The ramifications of the Jackson signing not working out will eventually loom large for the Chargers. Specifically, a dead cap charge over $20 million will hurt them in balancing the books for 2024.
But for now, a clean break is the main story in the interim. Staley and the team hope it leads to a bounce back for a secondary group that’s primarily underperformed this season.