Should the Carolina Panthers take Donte Jackson out of the firing line?
By Dean Jones
What options do the Carolina Panthers have with Jackson?
The Carolina Panthers don’t have much in the way of consistent depth at the cornerback position, which is why Donte Jackson has probably been out there when he clearly shouldn’t be. Rasul Douglas has been a tremendous addition besides his poor outing in Week 10 and Corn Elder has had some nice moments in the slot throughout the campaign.
It’s clear for all to see that fourth-round pick Troy Pride Jr. is not yet ready for a prominent starting role. The same can probably be said for seventh-rounder Stantley Thomas-Oliver III, who hasn’t seen much in the way of game time during his rookie campaign.
That might need to change if the decision-makers decide that Jackson should sit out.
Carolina has a bye in Week 13 coming up. So providing the cornerback with some rest over the next two games would give him almost a month before he took the field again in Week 14, which is an enticing proposition at this juncture.
NFL players are highly competitive and want to be out there whenever possible. But what is the point in putting Jackson into the lineup only for him to be in and out?
This isn’t good for continuing within a secondary that has plenty of underperforming players. So if the Panthers do want to make this sort of move, nobody should have any complaints and this would arguably be the perfect time to do it.