The Pittsburgh Steelers would have “won” the Donte Jackson trade by default even if he never played. Diontae Johnson’s post-Steelers career spiraled so out of control, it’s fair to wonder if anyone will sign him in March. But what about the Steelers and Donte Jackson—should they re-sign him? Ray Fittipaldo thinks it’s not the worst idea.
“They’ve got to figure out what they’re gonna do with [Donte] Jackson. I thought he was good enough”, Fittipaldo said of the Steelers cornerback on 93.7 The Fan. “He was banged up and injured for the final six weeks of the season, which, was not a great development for him or for the team to be quite honest with you. If they go back to Jackson, that’s fine. But if not, you’re probably gonna have to invest in free agency in a corner and maybe even in the draft”.
While Jackson left a positive initial impression on Steelers fans, that view has since soured. A lot of that has to do with his decline in performance down the stretch, which Fittipaldo defended, citing injuries. Indeed, Jackson struggled to stay healthy throughout the year. Late in the season, he dealt with a chronic neck injury that finally got the better of him.
During the season, Donte Jackson intercepted five passes, the most by anyone with the Steelers other than a small handful. The list of players with five-plus in the past couple decades includes Troy Polamalu, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Joe Haden. But interceptions don’t tell the full story, nor does the tape, if you give credence to the injury hypothesis.
Still, re-signing Donte Jackson is merely one way the Steelers could go, as Fittipaldo acknowledges. “I would say it’s a decent year for corners”, he said, referring to the draft. “I think depending on what happens with Jackson, I can see them going out and signing a corner in free agency. Then maybe taking a flyer on one, say, Round 2-4”.
In recent years, the Steelers have relied on veteran additions like Jackson in their cornerback room. Joey Porter Jr. has been a rare “hit” in the draft, the most recent before him being Cameron Sutton. Instead, they have turned to Ahkello Witherspoon, Levi Wallace, Patrick Peterson, Steven Nelson, and on down the list.
Other than Porter, they have gotten gun-shy drafting cornerbacks. He is the only cornerback they’ve taken in the first two rounds since 2016. They drafted Sutton in the third round in 2017, and Justin Layne in the third in 2019. But many other teams invest far more at the position in the draft than they do. Which is precisely why they have more often turned to guys like Donte Jackson.
And frankly, if they can’t develop them, then that’s fair. While the Steelers felt comfortable developing wide receivers, they forsook the veteran market, minus depth. That probably has to change now—but perhaps they can stand to change their cornerback strategy, too.
