Chargers CB J.C. Jackson Considered Day-to-Day for Week 1 vs. Raiders

J.C. Jackson has made progress towards playing the Week 1 season opener, and is considered day-to-day.

COSTA MESA – The Chargers could be tasked with facing the Raiders in Week 1 without star cornerback J.C. Jackson. But for now, Jackson is considered day-to-day and a determination of his game availability will come closer to Sunday's kickoff.

It's been 15 days since Jackson underwent an ankle procedure to fix a comfort issue. The initial time frame for Jackson's return was two to four weeks, meaning the season opener would come on the short side of that time line.

Jackson was in a walking boot last week, but has since then progressed out of it.

"J.C.’s boot is off, he was running yesterday, and he is day-to-day," Staley said of Jackson's status.

Jackson wasn’t out on the field during the viewing portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday. Staley said "things are very positive" but that he thinks the evaluation will lead up to gameday.

If Jackson is unable to play, the Chargers will run out Asante Samuel Jr. and Michael Davis as the two outside cornerbacks. Samuel and Davis were the Week 1 starters last year, so there is a comfort level in having two players who've played meaningful games in Staley's scheme before if Jackson's ankle does, indeed, sideline him.

"The real positive is that we’ve played with everybody in the secondary. We know exactly how to use them," Staley said when questioned how things may change if Jackson isn’t on the field Sunday. "For us, as coaches, that’s the comforting thing: we know who we are playing with. We know how to use the players that are going to be out there, so we have a lot of confidence in everybody that’s going to go play out there in that game, whoever it is, and make sure that they’re in the right role to do so.

"Our guys have had a really quality camp, as you guys have seen. I think we’ve really built depth in our secondary. That progress is still ongoing, but like you said, it’s going to be a tough challenge against those guys.”

Bryce Callahan, who will patrol the slot cornerback role, is new to the Chargers. But nonetheless, he carries with him an abundance of familiarity to Staley's defense having crossed paths in Chicago and Denver.

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.