If there was one move that general manager Omar Khan made this offseason that raised some eyebrows, it was the decision to ship WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for CB Donte Jackson and some late-round pick swaps. It immediately created a big hole on the roster at wide receiver that is still being figured out to this day. But had they not made the trade, they would have been in the same situation at cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr.
To make that trade worth it, Jackson needs to be an upgrade over what the Steelers had opposite Porter last season. Patrick Peterson had lost a step or two and Levi Wallace’s performance was below average at best. It was encouraging to hear that Mike Tomlin had a long-term interest in Jackson dating back to his draft, but on the flipside, there were reports that indicated the Panthers were looking to cut him if they couldn’t find a trade partner.
Steelers insider Mark Kaboly of The Athletic likes what he has seen from Jackson so far through four days of training camp.
“Donte Jackson, what you could see from him right now, I mean, he looks like a pretty solid No. 2 guy,” Kaboly said via 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show. “There’s no glaring issues you’ve seen from him yet where early last year when you saw Patrick Peterson, you’re like, ‘Oh geez, he’s not that quick anymore. He is not that fast anymore.’ I don’t see that from Donte Jackson in this type of setting so far. So I think that’s been a little bit of a quiet positive of a guy that you’re not gonna really have to worry about right now.
“…I think he’s gonna be a solid calming force at that No. 2 position, so as of right now, I think he’s looking pretty good.”
When is the last time the Steelers have had two solid starters at cornerback? Joe Haden and Cam Sutton were solid in 2021, but Haden was at the end of his career and Sutton hadn’t fully broken out yet as an impact player. Haden and Steven Nelson were probably the last good duo the Steelers had back in 2020, but the 2024 duo of Porter and Jackson has every chance to surpass them.
Porter is young, but looks like a guy who could ascend to the upper echelon of the position as early as this season. We don’t know for sure yet, but it is reasonable to assume he will be tasked with shadowing opposing teams’ No. 1 receivers like he did in his rookie season. That leaves Jackson covering No. 2 receivers. He has a chance to really excel in that role.
Mike Tomlin told the media after Sunday’s practice that the corners have been playing left-right so far at camp instead of having them follow specific matchups, which he noted they will start to do in the second week practice. This has given Jackson a lot of opportunities against George Pickens, and he actually held up really well.
He brings 4.32-second speed to the defense which is a stark contrast from last year’s corner group. From a film review I did in the offseason, he has good ball skills and has a lot of range for a 5-10 corner. He has an explosive lower body and can really elevate to contest passes in the air.
He also had the first interception of training camp. Johnson may go on to have a nice season with the Carolina Panthers, but Jackson’s play should quickly be able to silence those who still have reservations about the trade taking place.
