The Pittsburgh Steelers’ move to trade wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers late Tuesday night was rather surprising, especially considering the return of 28-year-old cornerback Donte Jackson and a swap of late-round picks, with Jackson entering the final year of his deal as well.
But, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Jackson is a player the Steelers had coveted last season.
Appearing on Good Morning Football Wednesday, Pelissero stated that the Steelers made attempts to acquire Jackson from the Panthers last season, aiming to land a cornerback they liked coming out of LSU in the 2018 NFL Draft.
“…As for Donte Jackson, the Steelers had actually been trying to trade for Jackson during the season last year. Again, an older, more expensive player. He now heads to Pittsburgh and fills a need for them,” Pelissero said regarding the Steelers’ trade of Johnson for Jackson, according to NFL Network.
Pelissero’s reporting is a bit surprising, considering Jackson is just two years removed from a torn Achilles and was getting up there in age and mileage at the position.
Across six seasons, Jackson has played 4,281 snaps in 80 career games after being a second-round pick of the Panthers.
Back in 2018 at the LSU Pro Day, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and former GM Kevin Colbert were in attendance to watch Jackson and other Tigers players.
The Steelers couldn’t land Jackson in the draft but based on Pelissero’s reporting they never stopped trying to acquire him, particularly in the last year.
Last season with Carolina, Jackson started 16 games and finished with 59 tackles, five tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He allowed 45 receptions for 588 yards on 57 targets last season, giving up three touchdowns and a QB rating against of 107.7.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson graded out at a 64.3 overall last season, including a 66.6 in coverage and a 52.3 against the run. He missed 10 tackles on the season and had a 47.2 grade in the tackling department from PFF.
