Arguably the only thing that surprised Donte Jackson about his trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers is what took so long. A former second-round draft pick out of LSU, he knows the Steelers have had interest in him since college. They nearly signed him when he hit free agency, and then nearly traded for him at the deadline last year.
The Steelers finally made the trade for Jackson happen this offseason when they moved WR Diontae Johnson. It was a big asking price, but they also improved their draft capital and cap space. And in return, they got a cornerback who knows that his new team knows him and his game.
Jackson has spent all of his career on losing teams in Carolina through six seasons. He’s ready to experience something different, and the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin are ready to give him that platform. According to the cornerback, all they want from him is exactly what he offers.
“I don’t think so”, Jackson said when asked if the Steelers are asking him to do anything different than he is used to, via the team’s website. “The first [thing] when I first got traded here, basically what they said is, ‘Get ready to go match, get ready to follow guys, get ready to go and do what you do well’. And tackling is one of my big strong suits.
“Being my size, people don’t expect me to come up and hit, so that was another thing that stood out. They just knew I’d be a perfect corner for this system and for this division. I’m excited to put my talents, what I’ve been doing my whole career, on such a big stage. I can’t wait”.
Earlier in the week, Jackson said that he was “giddy like a little kid” to finally play for the Steelers. Yesterday, he also talked about how being there was the real deal, especially Tomlin. He almost sounds like a baseball player who got the call-up from the minors. But the reality is he is just coming from the Panthers.
The Steelers want to pair Jackson with Joey Porter Jr., their second-year stud with great potential. Considering the lack of proven depth behind them, they are putting a lot into the success of the duo. It’s a challenge that they readily embrace, full of confidence in their abilities, as long as they stay healthy.
As Jackson pointed out, he doesn’t fit the size prototype. He’s only 5-8 and 180 pounds, but he punches above his weight. The Steelers believe they are familiar with this game, despite Jackson previously playing outside the conference, because of their previous scouting efforts.
Now they have him, and all they want from him is to be himself. It seems they hope the Porter and Jackson duo rivals that of Joe Haden and Steven Nelson. With those veterans, they had two cornerbacks with whom they felt comfortable handling any assignment. Both Porter and Jackson have drawn the top assignments in the past, and both are comfortable flipping sides. The only question is if the Steelers are getting exactly what they expect.
