Kareem Jackson is Symptom-Free & Cleared for Broncos Camp
The Denver Broncos will kick off training camp on July 28. While coaches and rookies will report sooner, the veterans will be the last Broncos to show up for camp.
Among those veteran players who will be there is 11th-year defensive back Kareem Jackson, who after a battle with COVID-19 has recently been declared symptom-free and cleared to work out.
It was reported on June 17 that Jackson had tested positive for the virus, not long after the peaceful Black Lives Matter protest march a week and a half prior at the Colorado state capitol in which the Broncos showed out in-force. Jackson was one of the organizers on the Broncos' side.
Some wondered, fairly, whether he may have contracted the virus then, despite the heavy use of masks by the throngs in attendance. More likely, though, he picked it up elsewhere according to a report by Benjamin Allbright.
Jackson, 32, is entering the second of his three-year deal with the Broncos. He was among the Broncos' prized free-agent acquisitions in 2019, garnering $33 million from the team in total value.
Originally a first-round pick of the Houston Texans out of Alabama back in 2011, Jackson spent the first nine years of his NFL career in the state of Texas. A native of Georgia, Jackson quickly fit in with Broncos on Vic Fangio's defense.
In fact, it can be argued that alongside his safety partner Justin Simmons, Jackson was the lynchpin to Fangio's defense in 2019. Although he missed one start due to injury and two more due to a DUI suspension, Jackson's impact in Year 1 as a Bronco was vast. He was voted as a Pro Bowl alternate but came up short of actually playing in the game.
Jackson's name was in the news on Thursday primarily because of his foundation's announcement that its Charity Golf Tournament has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. It will take place later this year.
Jackson was the second Bronco to test positive for COVID-19 after Von Miller had also contracted the virus early on in the pandemic. Thanks to both players being world-class athletes at the epoch of physical fitness, Jackson and Miller were able to vanquish the bug and are both now symptom-free.
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