Steelers cornerback ranks top-5 among CBs in man coverage for 2023

Pro Football Focus recently dropped their highest-graded cornerbacks in man coverage list, and Pittsburgh Steelers fans will be excited to see a familiar name in the mix.

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Surprising to some, it is not the Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback you thought you might see (Joey Porter Jr.). It’s actually the Steelers’ new offseason acquisition, Donte Jackson, who ranked fifth in the NFL with an 81.4 man coverage grade that ranks just shy of four of the NFL’s very best cornerbacks.

With Jackson coming over in the Diontae Johnson trade, many fans are unsure what to expect from the seventh-year man.

The former Carolina Panther plays a tight man-coverage style that makes working against him a struggle for opponents. In 2023, Jackson held his matchups to just three touchdowns all season long.

After playing with Jaycee Horn in Carolina, Jackson will pair up with another young corner in Porter Jr. Porter played the majority of his first season under veteran Patrick Peterson, and the two had a solid connection creating turnovers and making it hard to be scored on.

Entering 2024, Porter will step into the CB1 role for the first time in his career while Jackson looks to continue being a reliable CB2 with his new squad.