The Tennessee Titans will have to decide whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option of Adoree’ Jackson by May, but that decision should be an easy one.
Jackson was drafted by the Titans in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft (No. 18 overall), and while there have been some definite growing pains, Jackson really emerged as the corner the Titans thought he could be in 2019.
After an early-season struggles in the punt return game overshadowed his play on defense, Jackson settled in nicely after that and finished as the No. 15 cornerback in the NFL during the regular season, per Pro Football Focus.
While Jackson did allow a completion rate of 66.7 percent, receivers weren’t getting big chunks of yardage against him, as PFF notes he allowed the 10th-fewest first down receptions on the season. Jackson allowed 11 yards per completion and permitted just one touchdown in 11 games.
Jackson’s contributions to the Titans’ secondary never became more apparent than during the five games he missed last season.
Of course, things were really bad when both he and Malcolm Butler were out at the same time, but things definitely stabilized when Jackson returned for the playoffs, where he totaled five passes defensed.
On top of his toughness, Jackson has excellent speed, which makes him an ideal cornerback in today’s NFL that features more and more burners at the receiver position.
If all goes well in 2020, the Titans could consider giving Jackson an extension prior to 2021 in order to avoid him hitting the open market in 2022.
