With Organized Team Activities in full swing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, some areas of need on the roster are becoming more and more apparent.
One of those remains at the cornerback position behind Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson. Though Cory Trice Jr. is back on the field and getting some work in, and Darius Rush is eyeing a big step up in his second season, depth is a concern behind Porter and Jackson.
The Steelers could — and really should — add at the position, whether that’s re-signing veteran Patrick Peterson or taking a chance on Cameron Sutton were his legal troubles to be resolved.
The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher has one name that the Steelers should pursue though outside of Peterson and Sutton: veteran Adoree’ Jackson.
Mosher called the Steelers the “best fit” for Jackson Thursday morning in an article for the 33rd Team.
“One player who could make sense in Pittsburgh is Adoree’ Jackson. He is a man-to-man cornerback with some inside-outside flexibility. He’s played most of his career on the outside but has some slot experience from his days at USC and early on with the Titans,” Mosher writes. “Jackson has struggled to stay healthy but is a quality player in the right situation. He was overmatched as the Giants’ No. 1 cornerback. Still, he could be a solid No. 2 cornerback on the right defense at this stage of his career.
“Pittsburgh could really use another starting-caliber cornerback on the cheap, and Jackson might be the best potential fit on the market.”
Last season as a member of the New York Giants, Jackson played man-to-man coverage on 197 snaps, grading out at a 31.1 overall in man coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed 29 receptions on 46 targets for 462 yards and a touchdown, with 258 yards coming after the catch.
Jackson was much better in zone coverage, grading out at a 60.3 overall with one interception, allowing just 21 receptions for 268 yards on 201 snaps. He has the ability to handle man or zone, and as Mosher points out, can play inside or outside.
In his career, Jackson has 4,516 snaps as an outside corner and 535 snaps in the slot. Last season, Jackson had 115 snaps in the slot, marking the first time he played more than 100 snaps in the slot in a season since his rookie year in Tennessee in 2017.
Jackson will turn 29 years old in September and still has some decent football left. At this point, he would come relatively cheap at the cornerback position and would bring an abundance of experience with 5,399 career snaps on his resume. But the tackling is a real concern, as he missed 11 tackles last season, and the overall fit isn’t as clean in Pittsburgh as Mosher makes it out to be, due to Jackson’s struggles in man coverage last season.
But he’s certainly a name to remember as the Steelers move closer and closer to training camp and still have a hole on the roster at the cornerback position.
