Cornerback J.C. Jackson is anticipated to remain with the Patriots during their Week 10 matchup against the Colts in Frankfurt, Germany. The decision to keep him in New England stems from concerns regarding his reliability, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. The Patriots are hopeful that this extended stay and the additional rest from a bye week will provide the six-year veteran with an opportunity to enhance his performance.
Jackson’s dependability has been under scrutiny ever since the Chargers traded him back to New England, his initial NFL home, in early October. Following the trade, there were reports suggesting that Jackson had refused to participate in his final game with the Los Angeles Chargers before being traded.
This led Chargers general manager Tom Telesco to apologize to his players for giving Jackson opportunities despite his lack of commitment. Unfortunately, Jackson’s return to New England hasn’t seemed to have a positive impact on his reliability.
Further doubts about Jackson’s reliability arose when he arrived late at the team hotel the night before the Week 9 game against the Commanders, as reported by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Consequently, the coaching staff decided to keep Jackson on the sidelines during the defense’s first two series. He managed to contribute with just one tackle in that particular game.
When asked about Jackson not starting the next day, Patriots coach Bill Belichick insisted that the cornerback hadn’t been benched. He commented, “Well, it’s been a transition. I think his off-field training and physical health and conditioning have definitely improved. So he’s done a good job working on that. Just the consistency in the secondary from everybody is something we need to do a better job of,” as relayed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
