The Chargers may be staring at a sell-off before the deadline, and one of the more interesting names in that mix is a veteran corner who has quietly been easy to overlook.
Khalil Mack has been the headline-grabber in trade chatter, but CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns pointed to Donte Jackson as another possible piece Los Angeles could move. Bahns wrote, "Teams with holes on the back end of the defense could call about Jackson and his expiring contract, too. He racked up nine interceptions across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, after all."
Jackson’s resume gives that idea some weight. He has been a starting-level corner since the Carolina Panthers took him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, then spent six seasons in Carolina before a year in Pittsburgh. That stop with the Steelers helped solidify his reputation as a ballhawk, and he carried that over in his first season with the Chargers under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
This year, though, his time on the field has been limited. Jackson has appeared in just four games in his second season with Los Angeles, totaling two pass deflections and eight tackles. When he has played, he’s done his job well enough for Chris O'Leary’s defense, but a hamstring issue has sidelined him for nearly half the season.
From a trade standpoint, Jackson makes sense for a team looking for a veteran defensive back with turnover production. He would probably not command a big return, with a Day 3 pick - even a fifth-rounder - presented as a realistic price for a player with his track record.
Los Angeles also doesn’t have much behind him that screams starting-caliber corner. Deane Leonard and Rodney Shelley have either been injured or underwhelmed, though that matters a lot less when the Chargers are sitting at 0-6 and the season is effectively done.
Bahns’ list of potential Chargers trade chips also included Mack, Quentin Johnston and David Njoku as players Los Angeles could look to move while selling before the deadline.
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