Early in Pittsburgh Steelers training camp headlines have swirled about the play of several players, but the player who has perhaps had the best camp to date is CB Donte Jackson.
Jackson, added by way of the Diontae Johnson trade in March, has grabbed attention with his strong start to training camp. Matching up routinely against George Pickens, Jackson has made high-level plays to break up the ball.
One person who has taken notice of Jackson’s play is head coach Mike Tomlin.
“Man, I like his energy. I like his spirit,” Mike Tomlin told reporters after Sunday’s practice via Steelers.com. “He is a football lover. He is competitive, but we knew that about him before he got here. That’s why he is here.”
When asked if matching Jackson up with Pickens was intentional, Tomlin balked. He said the team is just trying to get both Jackson and Joey Porter Jr. repetitions on both sides of the field and work on their fundamentals.
If early impressions of Jackson hold true, the Steelers may have something they lacked in recent years: consistency. The cornerback position was one in flux a season ago. Outside of a stellar rookie season from Porter, the rest of the unit left much to be desired. The combination of Levi Wallace, Patrick Peterson and James Pierre provided little stability, leading to all three players leaving in free agency or getting released.
On paper, Jackson is already an upgrade at the position. According to Pro Football Focus, he outscored all three of the previously named players in their grading system with a 64.3. Peterson finished last season with a 60.5, followed by Wallace at 57.8 and Pierre at 39.7. Jackson wasn’t by any means perfect during his time in Carolina, but based on the numbers alone his play would be an improvement over what was previously in Pittsburgh.
Thus far, that improvement has held true throughout training camp. Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora recently wrote an article outlining Jackson’s play, coming away impressed with his performance.
It’s still early, but if Jackson can provide stability opposite of Porter this season, the team seems poised to have an improved secondary in the 2024 season.
