Tag: william jackson iii trade

Cornerback William Jackson III allows Steelers to play the coverages they prefer

The Steelers did the right thing in acquiring former Commanders cornerback William Jackson III in trade.

Through the first eight weeks of the 2022 season, only the New Orleans Saints had played more man coverage than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin’s defense had arrayed its secondary in Cover-0, Cover-1, and 2-Man on 116 opponent attempts this season, per Sports Info Solutions. And in those man coverage situations, they’ve allowed 66 catches for a league-high 1,046 yards, seven touchdowns, four interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 92.8.

So, when you want to play a lot of man coverage, and you’re not very good at it, the best thing to do is to get a cornerback who is very good at it. That’s what Pittsburgh did with the acquisition via trade with the Washington Commanders for William Jackson III.

Jackson, the former Bengals star who signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract with Washington in 2021, has been lost in whatever it is that Jack Del Rio has been doing with that defense.

But if you want to see the difference between Jackson in man and Jackson in zone, let’s look at two deep passes from Cooper Rush to CeeDee Lamb in Washington’s 25-10 Week 4 loss to the Cowboys.

The first play happened with 7:10 left in the game, and Jackson and Lamb at the bottom of the screen, Washington was in Cover-1, and Jackson was in press. He followed Lamb all the way through the vertical route downfield, and deflected the pass.

The vertical route that Jackson allowed to Lamb happened at the start of the fourth quarter. Here, the Commanders were in Cover-3, Jackson did goodness knows what at the end of his off-coverage rep, and Lamb had one of the easiest touchdowns he’ll ever get.

As the Steelers showed on the negative side against the Eagles last Sunday, they want to play aggressive man coverage. They have not had the horses to do it. But with the acquisition of Jackson, that dream comes a few steps closer to actual reality.

Patriots, Saints, Steelers, Lions, Dolphins best fits for Commanders CB William Jackson III

Washington Commanders cornerback William Jackson III wants out of town. Which teams would give Jackson the best opportunity to be the player he should be?

When the then-Washington Football Team signed former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback William Jackson III to a three-year, $42 million deal with $26 million guaranteed, I gave the deal an A+ grade, opined that Jackson was one of the best press cornerbacks in the NFL, and also opined that this might mean that Washington might be playing more press coverage from then on.

For multiple reasons, Jackson’s tenure in the nation’s capital has been an unmitigated disaster. Let’s check off the fact that Jack Del Rio is the Commanders’ defensive coordinator, because we’ve already gone over all the coverage busts seemingly inherent in the defense Del Rio is running.

Can the Washington Commanders fix their godawful defense?

Answer: No. The Commanders currently rank 29th in pass defense DVOA, and they’ve been terrible against the pass at all levels. And Jackson, who used to be a dead-red lockdown cornerback, has suffered along with the rest. This season, per Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed 16 catches on 19 targets for 219 yards, 60 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 149.8.

Now, with head coach Ron Rivera pulling Jackson against the Titans in Week 4, and Jackson not even making the trip to Chicago to face the Bears on Thursday night, Jackson wants out.

Per Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Jackson now wants a new home. From the report:

Once a key cog in the Commanders’ secondary, Jackson is not frustrated specifically with the team.

Rather, he considers himself more of a man-to-man cornerback and Washington has run a lot of zone thus far. When Jackson signed, he envisioned himself as a true lockdown corner, covering a team’s top receiver.

It hasn’t worked out that way.

Now, Jackson could find himself with a new home.

What may complicate the picture is Jackson’s contract. He has two years left on the deal, and his 2023 cap hit is $15.75 million, which means that another team could likely have Jackson for very little draft capital if there’s willingness to take on that fiscal responsibility.

We know that the Commanders’ defense is all kinds of bad, but which teams would present the best homes for Jackson as he looks to rejuvenate his career in a more hospitable environment?