Carolina Panthers: Donte Jackson emerging as a shutdown CB
By Dean Jones
How much has Donte Jackson improved?
The level of production that Donte Jackson has demonstrated over the last four games compared to what we saw earlier in the campaign is night and day. He has transformed his contribution and provided the defense with the sort of man coverage cornerback they’ve been craving.
This is good news for the Carolina Panthers, who were counting on Jackson to produce the goods in 2020. An injury might have limited his ability to do this consistently. But the stats are there for all to see when he’s been targeted during his last four outings.
- 7/21 completions allowed (33.3%)
- 45 yards conceded
- 2.1 yards-per-target
- 0 TDs allowed
- 4 passes defended
Simply put, this has a potential shutdown corner written all over it.
There is much work still to be done from Jackson’s perspective. This is a tremendous start in his bid to not only convince the coaching staff that he can be their long-term No. 1 option moving forward, but he’ll need to show more consistently during his contract year in 2021 to get the sort of money the player is looking for.
What comes next will be equally as important for Jackson. Staying healthy is clearly of paramount importance and there might be even more to come from him if Carolina gets better at the position during free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.