The Pittsburgh Steelers have some questions at cornerback as the team was unable to pick up any more big names in the 2024 offseason, but Donte Jackson is ready to provide some relief. Jackson, a 28-year-old who spent his first six seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, is coming to Pittsburgh looking to be the second starting cornerback behind Joey Porter Jr. As Jackson adjusts to the new Steelers' defensive system, he told reporters with confidence that he was a perfect fit for the AFC North division.
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Steelers' Donte Jackson getting warmed up for OTAs.
During his six seasons in Carolina, Jackson was able to record over 300 total tackles and 14 interceptions in 80 games played. After a rough year when it came to the pass defense in 2023, the Steelers needed to find an upgrade at corner.
Once Porter finally earned his starting spot as the Steelers' go-to guy, the majority of the other snaps were handed to Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson, who were the two starters to start off the 2023 season. Both Wallace and Peterson became liabilities in the passing game, which led to their departure from Pittsburgh once the season officially ended.
In 2024, Pittsburgh likely plans to have Porter and Jackson as the top two guys, however beyond that remains to be question marks. One critical aspect that Jackson will bring to the defense that the previous corners did not, is speed. Pittsburgh has lacked physicality and speed at cornerback over the past few years, but Porter and Jackson should provide both of those.
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Steelers' cornerback Donte Jackson speaking during OTA's.
While excitedly speaking to the media during Organized Team Activities (OTAs), Jackson was asked about his fit within the Steelers' new defense and the new division he will be playing in.
"Tackling is one of my big strong suits, being my size people don't expect me to come up and hit so that was another thing that stood out. They just knew I'd be a perfect corner for this system and for this division and I'm excited to put my talents and what I've been doing my whole career on such a big stage like this one."
In an AFC North division, where each of the four teams have a chance at making a deep run in 2024, landing guys like Jackson with a boatload of speed and physicality will be a crucial boost. Pittsburgh's pass defense will have to improve in order to be successful in their gauntlet during the second half of the season.
Jackson mentioned his tackling abilities, which brings another huge sigh of relief to the Steel City. Tackling has been an additional issue that the Steelers' defensive backs have struggled with as of late, and that is an issue that cannot go unsolved this season.
One key aspect to winning AFC North football games is making routine plays routinely, as Steelers' Head Coach Mike Tomlin would commonly say. Tackling simply is routine. The Steelers have to be pondering about their current playoff win drought, and they will need guys like Jackson to really step up in order for them to succeed this year.
Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Has A Whole Lot Of Confidence Going Into 2024
After a somewhat surprising, yet pleasing rookie season from Porter, the Steelers now have one of the best young cornerbacks in all of football. After starting off the 2023 season on the bench behind Peterson and Wallace, Porter finally made his impact during a week five matchup against the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens, where he made a game flipping interception. Porter has a new sense of confidence now as the CB1 in Pittsburgh, which led to his take on him being the best of the best.
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Steelers' rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. intercepts a pass against the Baltimore Ravens in a Week 5 victory at Acrisure Stadium.
Porter's quick impact for the Pittsburgh defense led him to a defensive rookie of the year candidate selection. His future has tremendous potential, and the Steel City can't wait to see what he brings in 2024 for his sophomore season. Porter and Jackson will be leading the way on the outside for the Steelers, which could be a problem for the AFC North foes.
What do you think? Will Jackson pan out as a great AFC North cornerback for the Steelers? What do you make of Porter's confidence and how he and Jackson will play together? Let us know in the comments.
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