Going from one team to another can create a big acclimation period, especially if switching teams for the first time in your professional career. There’s plenty to learn about how coaches approach the game of football, as well as getting used to new teammates. Steelers CB Donte Jackson spent the first five years of his career with the Carolina Panthers, so you would think that it would be a big change. But Jackson says his time in Carolina prepared him to make the quick jump to Pittsburgh.
“I played in Carolina for all my career, but I’ve had five different defensive systems that I had to be in,” Jackson said after Thursday’s OTAs per a video from the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “So even though I was in the same uniform, I still had to make sure we hone in on those details. So it’s kind of the same way here.”
Jackson was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He started his career under defensive coordinator Eric Washington and secondary coach Richard Rodgers. Washington was also his coordinator to start 2019. However, his defensive backs coach in 2019, Perry Fewell, became the interim head coach in Carolina partway through the season.
In 2020, Jackson played under defensive coordinator Phil Snow, the defensive coordinator for part of three seasons. But partway through 2022, there was another coaching change. Jackson’s secondary coach, Steve Wilks, was named interim head coach.
Then, somehow Jackson’s tenure in Carolina got even more chaotic in 2023. Ejiro Evero was brought on board as defensive coordinator while Frank Reich was hired as head coach. Reich was fired after 11 games.
In all, Donte Jackson played for at least three different defensive coordinators and five different secondary coaches. That’s a lot of changes during five seasons. So what did he learn from his experience of playing cornerback under a number of different people and philosophies (besides being flexible)?
“It’s making sure you learn every little detail,” Jackson said. “You’re understanding the language because that’d be the biggest thing when you’re learning new defenses. The last defense, it was called this. Now it’s called this. So just really wrapping your head around the verbiage and understanding what the coaches want from you and what they expect in certain stuff. It ain’t been that much of a learning curve for me, but it’s just been a real thrill getting in here, learning how this thing rolls so consistently year-to-year.”
The Steelers are known for a number of things, and stability is one of the biggest. That should be a comfort to Jackson, who hasn’t known the concept throughout his professional career. However, that lack of previous stability should help him adjust to the scheme and expectations in Pittsburgh for the 2024 season. Either way, he’s excited to be playing for the Steelers.
