The Pittsburgh Steelers made a big trade this offseason, moving WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers while getting CB Donte Jackson and the better end of a late round pick swap in return. So, I wanted to look at and provide data of his 2023 season, starting with coverage, and including Pittsburgh cornerbacks for comparative context using data from Sports Info Solutions (SIS).
Let’s dive in. Here’s 2023 coverage snaps and targets for quantity context:
Three cornerbacks in our sights landed above the mean in both. Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. led this group with 501 coverage snaps (41st), and the trendline highlights him being targeted less than expected given that volume (52 targets, 44th). Rounding out this group are free agent Levi Wallace and the freshly traded-for Jackson. They had very similar coverage snaps in 2023 (Wallace 456, Jackson 451), with the latter being targeted less (Wallace 70, Jackson 60).
2023 Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson, released by the team ahead of the new league year, led the focused players with 642 coverage snaps. That ranked fifth out of 123 qualifying cornerbacks (min. of 20 targets). He was also slightly below the league average in targets (47), well below expectation given his volume. Chandon Sullivan, also a free agent currently, was utilized the least of highlighted CBs (233 coverage snaps) and was targeted 21 times.
Lots of turnover at the position, and important quantity context as we learn more.
Here are snap alignments for the players in our sights, from Pro Football Focus (PFF):
Here we see Jackson leading the group in wide alignment in 2023, provided the second-most box snaps, but the least in the slot. Specific context of what he was and could end up being in this regard for the black and gold in 2024, an outside CB2 next to Porter.
Other important context is man versus zone, and here are those rates:
Jackson’s numbers jump out right away, playing just 13.5 percent in man last season. Each Pittsburgh cornerback more than doubled that number, and Porter’s 31.6 engulfing it. For what it’s worth, Jackson had an 81.4 man coverage grade on those opportunities in 2023.
On the flipside, Jackson had the highest 68.6 zone rate, grading at 64.3 in 2023. Looking back to 2022, he had a higher 20.3 man rate, but graded much worse (34.6). His 2023 man grade was the best of his career (limited opportunity), and hopefully plays well in it considering that usage will likely go up with Pittsburgh.
Now let’s begin to examine the quality of play with completion percentage and deserved catch rate, which is the number of completions and drops divided by the number of catchable targets and passes defensed:
Unfortunately, Jackson was the only player in our sights below the mean in both rates. He allowed a 58.3 completion percentage (T-81st) and an 84.1 deserved catch rate that ranked a poor 103rd. A big factor was the high zone usage, but not what you want to see regardless.
Comparatively, the four Steelers CBs were all above-average in deserved catch rate, and Sullivan was the only player with a worse 61.9 completion rate allowed (99th). Concerning facts on Jackson that will hopefully look better in 2024 with Pittsburgh.
Next, let’s look at the yardage of the targets with yards per attempt and yards per game:
Below average outcomes in 2023 for Jackson, with 8.2 yards per attempt (T-85th), and 30.6 yards per game (81st). The only other highlighted player with a lower number was Wallace, allowing 34.7 yards per game (91st). The rest were above the mean in each, with Porter the only one of the group under contract for 2024. Another area of hopeful improvement for Jackson.
Another stat that is used often to evaluate defenders in coverage is QBR Against (factors in completions, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions), so let’s see how they fare along with Wins Above Replacement (WAR) which is a points above replacement scale conversion that is based on the scoring environment:
WAR was a bit more favorable for Jackson, landing near league average. His 101.4 QBR against was another below average factor of his 2023 campaign, ranking 96th among his peers. Once again, Wallace was the only player with a lower mark (104.2, 102nd), with Sullivan and Wallace below Jackson in terms of WAR.
More specifically, Jackson allowed three touchdowns (T-70th) and no interceptions, though he did have seven passes defensed (T-39th). The only focused player to allow more touchdowns was Wallace, a whopping seven of them (T-fourth most). All four of the 2023 Steelers had at least one interception, and hopefully that becomes a reality for Jackson in 2024.
To close, let’s look at SIS’s Boom and Bust percentages to see the rates of big plays allowed or made in coverage.
- Boom % = The percentage of dropbacks that resulted in an EPA of 1 or more (a very successful play for the offense)
- Bust % = The percentage of dropbacks that resulted in an EPA of -1 of less (a very unsuccessful play for the offense)
Above average numbers for Jackson in both, with a 23.3 boom rate (48th) and 20.0 bust percentage (T-43rd). These were his only top-50 marks outside of target rate. Considering Jackson’s three touchdowns allowed and no interceptions in 2023, these rates are encouraging and point to other impact plays including (but not limited to) his seven passes defensed.
So, here’s a wrap up table of the data and conclusion:
This view is another way of illustrating Jackson’s coverage in 2023 leaving more to be desired overall. His highest rank was targets, tying for 29th most in the NFL in 2023. He was top-50 in bust rate (T-43rd), 48th in boom percentage, and 50th in coverage snaps. WAR was around league average (T-59th). Comparatively, Porter impressively ranked in the top-50 across the board as a rookie, giving added context to Jackson’s 2023 season.
The remainder of the data are hopeful areas for Jackson to improve: completion rate allowed (T-81st), yards per game (81st), yards per attempt (T-85th), QBR (96th), and particularly deserved catch rate (103rd). Some of that has to do with his high zone usage with Carolina last season, but many lower marks than I anticipated going into the study, and when considering the trade return sending away WR Diontae Johnson.
An encouraging factor is several stronger marks for Jackson than Wallace, whose role he will likely replace. The Pittsburgh Steelers are no doubt going to continue adding to the empty room, and hopefully Jackson (and others) have a great 2024 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
One thing’s for sure, I can’t wait to see how it pans out. Stay tuned for more studies on Jackson soon.
