What’s driving Panthers’ Donte Jackson in his third season? His desire to be the best
Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson is not one who typically lacks confidence.
In fact, when he jumped on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday, he made sure to let everyone know he had been lifting weights in the offseason.
“That’s why I got the guns out,” Jackson, who was wearing a sleeveless white Panthers’ T-shirt, said with a laugh.
He also told everyone he was faster than rookie Troy Pride Jr. And perhaps his most bold statement was he can be one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
But as confident as Jackson has always appeared, he admitted his confidence wavered in 2019.
He was on the wrong end of multiple huge plays, including a 93-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Olamide Zaccheaus in Week 14 of the 2019 regular season.
In Week 15, he got beat on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Tyler Lockett. And then-coach Perry Fewell said he considered benching the then-second-year cornerback.
“I let not being 100%, not being able to run with guys I know I can run with, I let that break my confidence,” Jackson said Thursday. “I let that just kind of take me out of (the game).”
That, and a list of problems on both offense and defense, led to a 5-11 record for the Panthers.
As Jackson, 24, enters the third year of his NFL career, he’s hoping for a fresh start. He knows this season is an important year for him. His rookie contract is set to expire after the 2021 season.
And with the departure of James Bradberry, who signed with the Giants in free agency, and an almost entirely new secondary, Jackson will likely step into the No. 1 cornerback role.
That means he’ll be tasked with taking on the opposing team’s best receivers. And in the NFC South alone, that’s no easy feat. Twice a year each, barring injury, Jackson will have to guard New Orleans’ Michael Thomas, Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, who are all considered among the league’s top wide receivers.
Jones, Thomas and Evans combined for 315 catches, 4,276 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns in 2019.
Jackson played well in the first part of the 2019 season but struggled later in the season. He finished with 40 tackles, eight pass deflections and three interceptions. Seven of those pass deflections and all three interceptions happened in the first six games of the season.
This season, though, he’ll need to be consistent as he becomes one of the leaders of a young secondary room.
Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow said he loves Jackson’s physicality and his ability to make tackles as a cornerback. But he also see some areas for improvement.
“The problem is, is he needs to get a little bit more detailed,” Snow told reporters in June. “We’ve talked to him about that, and I think with our DB coaches, they’re working well with him and I think he’s got some talent to him.”
Rebuilding Jackson’s confidence took time and work. Jackson said he invested money into taking care of his body, including his groin and hamstrings to make sure he stayed healthy throughout the season. He said he worked with former Pittsburgh Steeler Ryan Clark, also a Louisiana native.
And he has had extensive talks with coach Matt Rhule, Snow and cornerbacks coach Evan Cooper, whom Jackson said he has talked with almost every day.
“I see a competitive, talented, tough grown man that’s ready to go be a day-in day-out corner,” Rhule said Friday. “He’s been one of the real bright spots to me. His maturity, his toughness, his leadership, his work ethic, so far have all been outstanding. And I think his best football is about to be played.”
Jackson, sounding as confident as ever, agreed.
“I know what I can do. They know what I can do,” Jackson said. “That’s why they trust me, and they trusted me to to lead the cornerback room and to be one of the best in the league.
“And that’s my driving force.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 9:19 PM.
