New England Patriots: J.C. Jackson is ready to dominate
By Sam Minton
J.C. Jackson’s confidence is sky-high and he looks like he will have a great season for the New England Patriots.
The New England Patriots have quite the secondary group. Stephon Gilmore, Jonathan Jones, and Devin McCourty are the big names in the locker room, but New England also has J.C. Jackson.
Even compared to some of the corners on New England’s roster, Jackson is one of the best on New England’s roster. This shows just how talented he is.
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In 2019, Jackson was on top of everything. He was locking down receivers left and right. There was no one that he couldn’t cover. Jackson snagged six interceptions and also had 10 passes defended.
But looking back at Jackson’s career as a whole, he is one of the best corners in the entire NFL. Since 2017, receivers have been catching less than 50 percent of balls thrown while being covered by Jackson. That even has him ahead of Stephon Gilmore.
Breaking it down even further, Jackson is one of only two players to have an opposing completion percentage of less than 50 percent.
Now Jackson is in an interesting position. Patrick Chung opted-out of the season so the Patriots need someone to replace him at the safety position.
New England did draft Kyle Dugger, but will the rookie be ready to step into a starting role so quickly.
Jackson could be a player just like McCourty who makes the switch from cornerback to safety. He definitley has the confidence to succeed.
"“I can cover anything man,” Jackson told reporters on Monday. “Like getting out on an island. Intermediate routes, deep balls, I just got a lot more deep balls last year and in my first year, and I just took advantage of my opportunities when it came my way. But I can cover anything.”"
That’s the confidence that you need in your secondary.
New England’s defense will need to be on top of their game with the offense going under a bit of a transformation. If the offense struggles the defense will need to bail them out.
Jackson is about to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. He needs to show the Patriots that he is worth the investment. That can be harder than expected in New England.
Next. Cam Newton and Bill Belichick are best of friends. dark
Expectations will be high for Jackson in 2020, but with this confidence, Jackson might be able to exceed them.