We’re going to continue learning quite a lot about new Pittsburgh Steelers CB Donte Jackson in the coming months. Acquired via trade from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for WR Diontae Johnson, he steps into a void as CB2. And he knows he’s not in Pittsburgh by any coincidence—they’ve been after him for a long time.
“Coach [Mike] Tomlin, he was on me a lot coming out of college, and a lot when I was getting ready to sign my second contract”, Dale Lolley quotes the new Steelers defensive back as saying yesterday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “They really showed they wanted [me] for years and years now. I’m finally getting to be here.”
This is a common story that we hear from veterans the Steelers bring from the outside. Almost always, they have a tale to tell about their run-ins with Tomlin on the scouting circuit. Tomlin and others have talked about it a number of times—they always keep that Rolodex humming. They don’t forget the guys they liked coming out of school that they missed out on.
Jackson, evidently, is one of those players. A 2018 second-round pick out of LSU, Jackson is undersized but willing, and injury hasn’t robbed him of his speed. He’s struggled to finish seasons healthy as often as not, but he has ball production with 14 interceptions.
Alex Kozora broke down some of the plusses and minuses of his game. Presumably Tomlin believes he and his coaching staff can work to fix or mitigate his shortcomings, or so one hopes. But doing so comes with a price tag. Though they reportedly intend to adjust his contract, he currently offers them no cap savings despite eliminating $10 million off the books owed to Johnson.
The Steelers had Joe Haden at cornerback in 2018 and Artie Burns hadn’t yet totally bottomed out by Year Three. And they never really had a shot at Jackson that year. Carolina selected him at 55, five spots ahead of their selecting WR James Washington. Would they have taken him if he lasted until 60? Perhaps, perhaps not. But they kept up on him throughout his career.
“I signed a second contract with the Panthers and the Steelers were right there. This past trade deadline, they were right there. And now they’re right there again”, Jackson said. “I just feel like it’s meant to be. I can’t even express the amount of respect and gratitude I have for this organization”.
Reports indicate the Panthers intended to release Jackson due to his cap hit if they failed to find a trading partner. For all we know, the Steelers intended to do the same with Johnson, so two teams exchanging problems.
Of course, their new teams hope they’re part of the solution. At the very least, we know that Jackson is a player Tomlin and the Steelers believe in. You can question their evaluation, but it’s always better when a team believes in a player.
