SAN DIEGO -- Listed as full participant on the San Diego Chargers injury report for the first time since suffering a broken clavicle against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, safety Jahleel Addae was happily on the field preparing for an opponent and not in the training room.
"It's been hard, man," Addae said. "But I kept my faith in the man upstairs. Everything happens for a reason. It's exciting to see how well we jelled as a defense.
"It was a blessing in disguise because I got to sit back and see the defense from a different perspective, as bad as I wanted to be out there."
Addae said watching from the sidelines helped the game slow down for him even more.
Entering his fourth season, Addae hoped to take another step in his development and establish himself as one of the better playmaking safeties in the NFL.
But just like in previous seasons, injuries deterred Addae from reaching his goal. Adrian Phillips and Dexter McCoil have done an admirable job of filling the void, but Addae earned the starting strong safety job next to Dwight Lowery in the defensive backfield out of training camp for a reason.
The Chargers are ranked No. 28 in the NFL in pass defense, giving up 275 passing yards a game. Having hard hitters like Addae, along with inside linebacker Denzel Perryman, back on the field should give San Diego's defense a boost against quarterback Brock Osweiler and the Houston Texans' offense.
Like Addae, Perryman was a full participant on Wednesday and is expected to play on Sunday after missing two games with a hamstring injury.
"Any time you can get some players back the caliber of Jahleel and Denzel and what they've done here the past couple years, you see how they help our defense. … They've kind of set the standard of how we play here," Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said.
Now that he's fully healthy, Addae said he's going to play the same way he always plays -- flying around the field and trying to make plays.
"I'm just focused on doing my job," Addae said. "I'm confident in my ability. My play speaks for itself, so I'm just going to continue to do what I do. I'm not going to do anything extra, and I'm not going to do something less. I'm going to continue to play the way I play, with passion, energy and with that physical presence. Just play within myself and the system, and I'll be fine.
"You're going to see the 'Hit Man' on Sunday."
While Addae and Perryman are on track to play against the Texans, rookie inside linebacker Jatavis Brown remains unable to practice due to a knee injury, along with cornerback Brandon Flowers, who's back in the NFL concussion protocol.
Tight end Asante Cleveland also did not practice on Wednesday due to a knee injury. Receiver Jeremy Butler (ankle) and outside linebacker Tourek Williams (hamstring) were limited participants in practice, while receiver Travis Benjamin was a full participant.
