With one cornerback in Pittsburgh making quite a bit of noise hyping himself as the best cornerback in football, that being Joey Porter Jr., new Steelers’ cornerback Donte Jackson couldn’t leave him out there alone on an island, so to speak.
Speaking to reporters Thursday following the sixth Organized Team Activities session at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, Jackson defended Porter’s comments, stating that he should feel that way. He then took it a step further, calling himself a complete cornerback in the NFL with the resume to prove it.
“I mean, ’cause I played in this league six years, I’ve been a match follow guy,” Jackson said to reporters, according to video via Steelers.com. “I’ve been in, I said how many systems I’ve been in, and one thing that always stood the test of time is my ability to make plays, my ability to go out there and, and match up against the best guys my ability to go out there and and hit and tackle. So I feel like when it comes to like just playing corner, you can do all the rankings and stuff, but I feel like I’m a complete guy.
“So I don’t really too much care about putting myself up and all that, man. I just care about being a solid, consistent guy. And that’s what I’ve been throughout my career. And the tape don’t lie.”
During his six years in the NFL, Jackson has been a productive cornerback. In those six seasons — all with Carolina — the former second-round pick has played 4,281 snaps in 80 career games. In those 80 career games, Jackson has 303 tackles, 15. tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, 14 interceptions, 46 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one touchdown.
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 in 2023, 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.
Making plays has usually been part of Jackson’s game, even dating back to LSU. Though he didn’t make any plays last season, going without an interception on the year for the first time in his career, he stayed healthy and was effective in yet another new defense for the Panthers.
Now, coming to Pittsburgh he has some great talent around him, Jackson is stepping into a stable environment, which should help the veteran get back to his play-making ways.
The Steelers chased him for quite awhile and were finally able to land him this offseason. Hopefully playing opposite Joey Porter Jr. while having help behind him in the form of All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick can help unlock Jackson’s best football once again.
Confidence isn’t an issue there.
