Player: CB Donte Jackson
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: While Diontae Johnson is having a fine season for a crappy Panthers team, Donte Jackson still looks like a win. The Steelers still need a wide receiver, but do you know what they don’t need? A second cornerback to pair with Joey Porter Jr., because they found their answer in Donte Jackson.
The Steelers are still not getting interceptions from Minkah Fitzpatrick. Even still, they are in the top five in the league in interceptions (seven), thanks in large part to Donte Jackson. The veteran acquired via trade this offseason has three of his own, nearing his career high of four.
Oh, and we have only played six games, so he has a great chance of eclipsing that mark. Jackson only needs to pick off two more passes over the course of the next 11 games to do that. He also has six total passes defensed, plus 18 tackles, one for loss.
While Jackson has not played error-free, he has impressed with his willingness to tackle. He will come up short on a tackle attempt a time or two, or lose on a route, but he has really helped to solidify the secondary. In fact, Jackson is allowing among the lowest passer ratings in the league.
Donte Jackson secured his third interception of the season last week against the Las Vegas Raiders. Another component not talked about is that he is also effective on the runback. Back in Week 1, he returned an interception for 49 yards. He only has one pick-six, but he has 261 career return yards on 17 interceptions. That includes 75 return yards on three interceptions this year alone.
Now, we can’t discuss Donte Jackson without acknowledging what the Steelers gave up. While fans grew tired of Diontae Johnson, he is actually having a fine season. Over six games, he has 29 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns. In the four games that Andy Dalton has started, he has 24 receptions for 306 yards and three touchdowns. It’s almost like the quality of play at the quarterback position is significant somehow.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
