Tag: Donte Jackson

Steelers CB offers word of warning for Tomlin haters

Donte Jackson tells fans to be careful what they wish for.

There is a huge member of the NFL community inside and outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers ecosystem who believes the Steelers should move on from head coach Mike Tomlin.

Another group, also fairly significant, supports keeping Tomlin, often citing the unknown of moving to a new head coach as reason enough to stick to what you already know.

One Steelers player who offered his insight into the situation as someone who has seen it go the other was was cornerback Donte Jackson. After spending a tumultuous six seasons with the Carolina Panthers, he offered some insight into how the idea of changing coaches can be harmful when he spoke to the media.

“The message to the Tomlin haters. I would just be like, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ I’ve seen in my six years in Carolina, I’ve seen three coaches get fired during the season. Some guys go through their whole career and not see one head coach get fired, period. Not let alone during the season, bro. I’ve seen three get fired during the season, bro. That’s crazy. I’ve been under three interim head coaches. And in six seasons. That’s in six seasons.”

The counter to all this is the Steelers situation when they hired Tomlin. When Bill Cowher retired, the Steelers replaced a legend with a complete unknown in Tomlin with zero head coaching experience. That worked out pretty well so you cannot look at sticking with the bad you know for the unknown.

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Will Steelers make the ‘Diontae Johnson mistake’ with George Pickens?

The Steelers traded away Diontae Johnson without a real backup plan. Could they make the same mistake with George Pickens in 2025?

Six awful words describe the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver woes that reared their ugly head in 2024: “Be careful what you wish for.”

No one will argue that the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Diontae Johnson trade that brought CB Donte Jackson from the Carolina Panthers this past offseason—especially after Johnson’s meltdown with three NFL teams since. However, the Steelers traded away their WR 1-B with little backup plan in place, and they may be poised to do the same with WR George Pickens in the 2025 offseason.

Pickens has proven himself to be truly electrifying on the field, but his immature antics have created huge distractions for the Pittsburgh Steelers—just as Johnson did.

If the Steelers trade away Pickens in 2025, Pittsburgh would need to hit a home run in free agency and the draft—but history isn’t on their side.

When Antonio Brown left the Steelers in 2019, Pittsburgh miserably attempted to fill the void with Donte Moncrief. Little changed when Johnson left in 2024, as the Steelers turned to Van Jefferson—and many fans know how that turned out.

Here’s to hoping the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t make any rash decisions regarding Pickens and avoid treating him like Johnson.

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TV broadcast calls out Donte Jackson for lack of effort

Donte Jackson showed some real lack of effort and got caught by the TV broadcast team.

When you are getting blown out, the television broadcast has to do something to keep things moving. For Al Michaels and Kirk Hirbstreit, they are being forced to watch the Baltimore Ravens blow out the Pittsburgh Steelers and Herbstreit isn’t holding back on the lack of effort by the Steelers defense.

In the first half, Herbstreit wondered where the Steelers fire was and then in the second half, called out cornerback Donte Jackson for his lack of effort helping to make a tackle.

Ravens receiver Tylan Wallace made a catch near the sidelines and on the replay, it is easy to see Jackson just stand and watch while safety Minkah Fitzpatrick works by himself to wrestle Wallace down. Herbstreit saw it as well and pointed out the lack of effort this group has been seeing for a long time.

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Cincinnati Bengals linked to Pittsburgh Steelers defender in free agency

Another free agency idea for the Bengals includes a Steelers standout.

The Cincinnati Bengals will bring plenty of new faces to the team this offseason via free agency and the draft, especially on the defensive side of the ball, with a new coordinator on the way.

So, who are some of the names the Bengals could look to bring in via free agency?

One hails from the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, as Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox has named the Bengals a fit for cornerback Donte Jackson:

Jackson, who was a largely reliable starter in Carolina as well, recorded eight passes defended and five interceptions in 2024 while allowing an opposing passer rating of just 69.9 in coverage. He may not be an elite cover corner, but he’s an underrated tackle in run support and has tremendous ball skills.

Jackson, a former second-round pick, was introduced to AFC North football this year as part of the Diontae Johnson trade and will turn 30 next year.

Written another way, he’s ideal for the Bengals — they’ll be looking for short-term veteran help. Both Dax Hill and DJ Turner are coming back from injuries and long-term unknowns, while it’s hard to say what they will do with Cam Taylor-Britt from here.

As a whole, Jackson is certainly a name to keep in mind for the Bengals when the market opens.

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Steelers vs Ravens Tuesday injury report

The Steelers have a long injury list but the majority of it is great news for returning players.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens were both hard at work on Wednesday as the two teams prepared to square off for the third time this season on Saturday night. The Steelers split the regular-season series with the Ravens and you throw out the records once the tournament starts.

For the Ravens, they were working minus their top wide receiver. Zay Flowers missed Tuesday’s practice as he continues to work his way back from a knee injury and his status is firmly in jeopardy.

In addition, starting safety Kyle Hamilton (knee) and running back Justice Hill (concussion/illness) were limited.

Pittsburgh is nearly back to full strength heading into this week’s game but their list was somewhat longer.

OT Calvin Anderson (groin) FULL

WR Roman Wilson (hamstring) FULL

CB Donte Jackson (back) FULL

LB Cole Holecomb (knee) FULL

DT Logan Lee (calf) FULL

G Mason McCormick (hand) LIMITED

OL Isaac Seumalo (NIR) DNP

TE MyCole Pruitt (knee) LIMITED

DT Cameron Heyward (illness) DNP

Anderson, Wilson, Holcomb and Lee are all in their 21-day windows to return on IR or remain inactive for the remain of the season.

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Cory Trice Jr’s elite play puts Steelers in an awkward position

Cory Trice Jr.’s stellar play creates a tough decision for the Steelers with Joey Porter Jr.’s and Donte Jackson’s potential return.

In what can only be described as a great problem to have, Cory Trice Jr.’s fantastic coverage abilities over the past two weeks have created another positional battle for fans to keep their eyes on.

Trice has stepped up admirably in the absence of injured starting cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson. However, with the duo seemingly prepared to make their long-awaited return against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, Trice now finds himself as the odd man out of the starting lineup, despite arguably playing as the best defender in the Steelers’ secondary in Week 17.

Porter infamously caused six costly penalties against the Bengals in his efforts to cover wide receiver Tee Higgins back in Week 13, and Jackson gave up a touchdown in that contest as well.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary scrambling for answers regarding their role in the second-half collapse of the once-dominant Black and Gold defense, Trice could be the perfect solution opposite either Porter or Jackson if changes in coverage are needed.

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Steelers defensive starter new add to injury report

The Steelers are almost completely healthy heading into the final game of the regular season.

It might be New Year’s Day but for the Pittsburgh Steelers it was a workday. The Steelers practiced on Wednesday and for the most part this is a very healthy team, especially for this late in the season.

However, the latest injury report had a new name on it. Starting cornerback Donte Jackson popped up on the injury report with a back injury. According to the report he was limited in his work.

The Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night with huge playoff implications in play.

In addition to Jackson, linebacker Cole Holcomb was limited as he works his way back from a brutal knee injury. Same for defensive tackle Logan Lee. All other players including quarterback Justin Fields and running back Jaylen Warren were full participants along with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson.

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Benching Steelers veteran CB could alleviate defensive struggles

Cameron Sutton’s struggles in coverage call for changes in the Steelers secondary as the defense scrambles for improvement.

The grass isn’t always greener, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have learned this the hard way with veteran slot corner Cameron Sutton starting over rookie Beanie Bishop Jr.

Despite strong performances from Bishop, Sutton took over the starting slot CB role after returning from his eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Sutton has remained strong against the run but has struggled significantly against opposing passing attacks—an area of major concern for the Steelers defense over the past few weeks.

Injuries have forced Sutton into an expanded role for the Steelers, as his versatility allows him to play outside in addition to his natural position in the slot. However, these opportunities have only emphasized the need to bench Sutton.

CBs Cory Trice Jr. and James Pierre fit the Steelers’ needs better as outside man-coverage corners, and Bishop has already proven he can create splash plays from the slot.

With that in mind, the first step to addressing the Steelers’ defensive struggles seems simple: bench Sutton and let Trice, Pierre, and Bishop take over the secondary until CBs Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson are fully healthy.

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Surprising second-year defender could be Steelers CB of the future

Cory Trice Jr. made his mark on the Steelers’ defense in Week 17, proving his potential after overcoming a challenging rookie setback.

On a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that has struggled mightily over the past two weeks, one defender has stood out—CB Cory Trice Jr.

The second-year corner—drafted out of Purdue University with the 243rd pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft—saw his draft stock plummet after teams were worried about his injury history.

To make matters worse, before Trice could prove to the NFL that teams made a mistake letting him fall to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round, he tore his ACL during training camp in 2023, ending his rookie season before it even began.

An injury that forced starting CB Joey Porter Jr. to miss Week 17’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs put a tremendous amount of pressure on Trice, and the young CB delivered.

PFF paid respect to Trice’s elite play—which saw the CB allow only two receptions for 12 yards—with an impressive grade of 90.1, the second highest among all Steelers defenders in Week 17.

Trice could provide the Steelers with an affordable option at corner if the team moves on from CB Donte Jackson in the 2025 offseason.

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Is it time to hit the panic button on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense?

The Steelers’ defense has faltered in back-to-back losses, raising questions about their identity and playoff readiness.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have dropped to 10-5 following two consecutive losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens in Weeks 15 and 16, respectively.

While both of these teams boasted high-powered offenses, the Steelers’ defense has recently showcased a loss of identity. The Lamar Jackson-led Ravens offense produced over 400 yards in the Steelers’ loss, and the Eagles accomplished the same the previous week.

Back in November, the Steelers held the Ravens to 16 total points compared to the 34-17 blowout loss in Week 16. What truly changed—and should fans begin to panic?

It is understandable that exhaustion has set in for the Black and Gold, as the team is currently in the midst of playing three games against Super Bowl contenders in just a 10-day span.

Injuries are also a likely cause, with the team missing CB Joey Porter Jr., CB Donte Jackson, DT Larry Ogunjobi, and SS DeShon Elliott. Their absences impact all facets of the defensive side of the ball.

With the Steelers’ playoff spot clinched, keeping the team healthy should be the primary concern rather than forcing players who are less than 100% to play injured.

Don’t worry, Steelers fans—this defense will reign supreme once again!

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