Green Bay Packers: It’s Now or Never for Josh Jackson in Year 3

It’s been a rough two years for Josh Jackson and now entering Year 3, it’s really now or never for him to produce for this Green Bay Packers’ defense.

As the 45th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, I wouldn’t call Josh Jackson a bust, but he’s certainly heading down that path. With the selection of Jaire Alexander in Round 1 and Jackson in Round 2 that year, the Green Bay Packers were trying to revitalize the cornerback position after Quinten Rollins and Damarious Randall didn’t pan out.

While Alexander has lived up to the billing of a first-round pick, Jackson has been the opposite and has not lived up to his draft slot at all.

Coming out of Iowa, Jackson was known for his ball-skills, coming away with eight interceptions during his final season. And for a Green Bay Packers’ defense that really struggled to create turnovers, this addition was a welcomed sight.

As a rookie, Jackson would make 10 starts, and to put it simply, he took his lumps. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson was targeted 66 times allowing a completion rate of 66.7 percent along with four touchdowns, and quarterbacks had a rating of 112.7 when targeting him.

Oh, and he also led the team in penalties with eight and he didn’t come away with a single interception.

The big reason for the lack of playmaking ability and the eight penalties was that Jackson was often out of position. Whether it be not diagnosing what’s going on quickly enough or his below-average speed, he was a player that opposing offenses could pick on.

However, to some extent, these struggles should have been anticipated. Any rookie thrust into a starting role is going to have his ups and downs and coming from Iowa’s zone scheme to Mike Pettine’s heavy press-man defense was certainly going to be an adjustment for him.

The hope was that we would see that growth between Years 1 and 2 that many successful players have. Except we didn’t. In fact, 2019 was even worse for Jackson than 2018.

An injury early on in training camp would cause Jackson to miss time and it sent him tumbling down the depth chart. This resulted in Jackson playing in less than 10 percent of the total defensive snaps in 2019 and when he was on the field, he was picked on once again.

On eight targets, Jackson gave up seven receptions including a touchdown while quarterbacks had a passer rating of 143.8.

For a player like Jackson who was still trying to find his way, that missed practice time over the summer was a major setback for him and one that he was never able to recover from. I mean, we see veterans look rusty when they are missing practice time, so I can imagine the effect that had on a second-year player who is still learning.

Now as we look ahead to the upcoming season, this really is a make or break year for Jackson and with the inexperience on the depth chart at the cornerback position, Jackson can provide a nice boost if he is able to take a step forward.

And while we hope that’s the case, the big question is, where does he fit in?

As I’ve already mentioned, he doesn’t have great speed to be consistently successful lined up out wide and although Brian Gutekunst mentioned that he would be competing for slot duties, his short-area quickness is in question as well. Some have mentioned a move to safety but that comes with its question marks as well.

So with that said, it isn’t going to be easy for Jackson but it’s going to be important that he finds some sort of success during training camp and the preseason. Not only for his own confidence but to try to start rebuilding that trust with the coaching staff, because after last season it’s quite clear that they don’t have a ton of confidence in him.

If anything at this point, Jackson at least knows the defense and that can go a long way in helping him. But in Year 3, it’s now or never if he is going to produce and the Green Bay Packers’ young secondary could certainly use that extra help.