Steelers Confident CB Donte Jackson Is Secondary’s Missing Piece

Joey Porter Jr. will grab headlines as an emerging star at corner. But winning in the NFL requires having more than just one corner. That’s where Donte Jackson steps in. Acquired in a March trade from the Carolina Panthers, Jackson’s solid summer is inspiring plenty of confidence in Steelers DC Teryl Austin.

“I’m confident because I’ve seen him play before,” Austin said via a team-provided transcript. “I know he’s an NFL starter. The biggest thing with him is he’s had some injury history, but in terms of that, when you watch him play, you know that you have a quality corner. So I’m excited about watching him play this weekend.”

Jackson fell out of favor in Carolina and was reportedly about to be cut by the Panthers. Instead, they swung a last-second deal for WR Diontae Johnson in a rare starter-for-starter player deal. Jackson had a strong training camp performance, battling WR George Pickens well early in the summer. Though a late-camp injury and quiet in-stadium action put a damper on the end of the preseason, Jackson still had the look of a No. 2 corner. Our post-camp report gave him a B-plus grade.

“A pleasant surprise this summer, Jackson got off to a hot start in training camp. He battled WR George Pickens as well as any Steelers corner with multiple breakups and one interception throughout camp. Jackson’s speed helps him defend anything vertically and he tracks and finds the ball well.

He showed the short-term memory all good corners must have, not hanging his head when Pickens or Van Jefferson (who toasted him as Jackson lost his balance on an early rep in camp) beat him and coming back to make the next play. After giving up the play to Jefferson, Jackson drove and broke up a slant on the very next rep.”

The injury Austin mentioned likely refers to Jackson’s torn Achilles midway through 2022. Often a devastating injury for a player built on speed, he still looks as fast as he did when he blazed a 4.31 40 coming out of LSU six years ago.

Pittsburgh will need Jackson to be an average starter this year. At the least, not a liability. If he can do that and Porter can play like a No. 1 corner, even as he downplays shadowing opposing top wideouts, the Steelers will have a strong “core four” of their secondary with FS Minkah Fitzpatrick and SS DeShon Elliott. There will be question marks in the slot and regarding the team’s depth, but the Steelers will have a foundation they can work from, especially given how stout their front seven projects to be.