After six years with the Panthers, cornerback Donte Jackson was traded to the Steelers in March. And he says he’s in the right place.
“When I first got traded here, basically what they said, ‘Get ready to go match, get ready to go follow guys, get ready to go and do what we know you do well,'” Jackson said, via NFL.com. “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 this division. I’m excited to put my talents and what I’ve been doing my whole career on such a big stage like this one. I can’t wait.”
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Jackson may be undersized, but he says people around the league know what he can do.
“One thing that always stood the test of time is my ability to make plays, my ability to go out there and match up against the best guys, my ability to go out there and hit and tackle,” Jackson said. “When it comes to playing corner, you can do all the rankings and stuff, but I feel like I’m a complete guy. I don’t really too much care about putting myself up in all that. I just care about being a solid, consistent guy. That’s what I’ve been throughout my career. The tape don’t lie.”
Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. recently said he’s doing things that no other cornerback can do, and between Porter and Jackson, the Steelers may have the most confident pair of starting cornerbacks in the NFL.