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Five Things To Know About New Steelers PS DB D’Shawn Jamison

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D'Shawn Jamison

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a number of moves focused on their practice squad. One of those moves was signing former Carolina Panthers DB D’Shawn Jamison. Who is the former undrafted free agent? Let’s dive in and find out.

Former Teammate Of Both Donte Jackson And Ryan Watts

During Jamison’s final year of college and his first year in the NFL, he played alongside two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jamison graduated from the University of Texas in 2023. His final season with the Longhorns was 2022, Ryan Watts’ first season after transferring from Ohio State.

After finishing his five-year career with the Longhorns, Jamison signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. But the 49ers waived him in August of 2023, and he signed with the Carolina Panthers. There, he played in 15 games as a teammate of (and in the same position room as) Donte Jackson.

Not Just A Defender

Jamison was listed as a defensive back in the Steelers’ press release, but he can do much more than cover wide receivers and tight ends. As a rookie for the Panthers, he returned two kicks for 40 yards with a long of 22. But he was a standout returner while he was with the Longhorns in college. In 60 career games, he returned 54 kicks for 1,435 yards and two touchdowns. That’s an average of 26.6 yards per kick return. Oh, and one of those kick returns was a 100-yard return.

 

He also returned punts for Texas. He had 44 punt returns for 368 yards (8.4 yards per return) and one touchdown. His career-long was a 90-yard punt return as a freshman.

No Stranger To Scoring Touchdowns Even In High School

Prior to signing with Texas, Jamison was a standout player for Lamar High School in Texas. He was a highly-touted cornerback and special teamer during his high school days. He was a First-Team All-State kick returner.

As a senior, Jamison had seven total touchdowns. He returned four kicks for touchdowns, one interception, one punt, and even chipped in a rushing touchdown on offense. Here’s a glimpse of Jamison’s return ability from his high school days.

Willing To Do Whatever It Takes

Every defensive back wants to be the one to snag a pass at the goal line and race all the way to paydirt. There is plenty of glory in those moments. But it’s rarely a one-man effort to make that happen. Jamison knows that because he’s been the one racing upfield to deliver key blocks on a big return. In 2023, the Panthers played the Minnesota Vikings. Early in the first quarter, the Vikings were driving deep in the Panthers’ half. QB Kirk Cousins threw a pass to the pylon, where Sam Franklin jumped the route and took off.

But Jamison was hot on his heels. It looked like Cousins had the angle to stop the pick-six attempt, but Jamison lined him up and leveled him inside the Viking’s 25-yard line. But Jamison wasn’t done yet. With Cousins rolling head over heels, Vikings WR K.J. Osborn looked to attempt one last-ditch tackle but was denied. One Panthers defender slowed Osborn up briefly before Jamison put his shoulder squarely into Osborn and sent him to the ground.

D’Shawn Jamison, The… Wide Receiver?

Jamison was known for two things coming out of high school: Returning kicks and locking down wide receivers. However, in his freshman year at Texas, Jamison actually lined up as a wide receiver. He had four receptions and even carried the ball four times. Those eight offensive touches were the only offensive touches of his career, though. He did return punts and kicks as a freshman, as he had done throughout all five years in Texas. But he quickly flipped back to the defensive side of the ball as a sophomore and never looked back. He finished his Texas career with 139 total tackles, six tackles for a loss, one sack, six interceptions, 23 passes knocked down, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.

 

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