Last season, under head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, the Washington Football Team finished third in Football Outsiders’ Defensive DVOA overall standings, and only after the Steelers to the pass. Cornerbacks Kendall Fuller, Ronald Darby, Fabian Moreau and Jimmy Moreland allowed a total of nine touchdowns and seven interceptions, and with Darby heading to the Broncos for a three-year $ 30 million deal, it was time for reinforcements.
Rather than average reinforcement, the soccer team voted in favor of the best cornerback in the 2021 free agency class and one of the five best-man coverage cornerbacks in the NFL. Former Bengali defender William Jackson will become the football team’s newest cornerback when the competition year turns at 4:00 p.m. ET, and he could be the only one to take Washington’s defense from No. 2 to No. 1. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Washington tackles Jackson for a three-year $ 42 million deal with $ 26 million guaranteed. That’s CB2 money for a CB1, and that’s where the A + grade comes in.
Last season in a Bengals defense that didn’t help anyone from a schematic standpoint, Jackson allowed 36 receptions on 69 goals for 537 yards, 169 yards after catch, three touchdowns, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 86.4. But when used in a way that best showcases his skills, Jackson is a force to be reckoned with.
Last May, I ranked Jackson as the NFL’s ninth-best cornerback in man coverage, and here’s what I wrote about him then:
Not much went well for Cincinnati’s bottom-feed defense in 2019, but Jackson was a rare star in a positive sense. Although struggling with injuries in the second half of the season, an excellent boundary cornerback that was occasionally negatively impacted by some baffling safety ‘help’ looks, Jackson seemed more at ease when he could just clear his goal on his own. Last season, Jackson allowed one touchdown in man coverage (which the Bengals used for only 33% of their snaps), but aside from that, he only gave 10 catches on 28 goals for 159 yards and a positive play speed of 32.1. % – good for fourth place in the competition.
Well, at least Jackson was bold in this regard in 2020, though Cincinnati’s coverage was still a whole lot of sad trombone, as it was generally under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Unless you believe going from 29th in pass defense DVOA in 2019 to 27th in 2020 is a really big thing, which I don’t.
In any case, Jackson was attacked 40 times in 227 man cover snaps in 2020, allowing only 15 receptions for 187 yards, and a positive play rate of 32.5%, which ranked fourth among cornerbacks with at least 25 targets in man coverage. Consistent? Admirable in a position where you can quickly find yourself on the dark side. Jackson is also a pretty decent zone cornerback – he allowed 16 completes on 27 goals for 292 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a 44.4% positive play speed.
Jackson isn’t quite a ‘bail-and-trail’ border crossing in the traditional sense – he’s more of the guy you want to keep pressed against his receiver and follow the route all the way. Much better man and match than spot-drop zone. If you play him off cover, you could end up with things like this 50 yards completion from Deshaun Watson to Brandin Cooks against the Texans in Week 16.
(No, I’m not quite sure what security on Jackson’s side was doing here either).
Here, from the same game, is how you want Jackson to work: Adjusting the receiver Chad Hansen step by step from the start of the route, almost making the choice while breaking off at the ball.
It’s not easy to find corner backs for big men, and even more difficult to find corner backs for men that have Jackson’s consistency from year to year. He’ll be paid high for that reason alone, and don’t be surprised if the soccer team – which played just 24% of their defensive snaps last season, but allowed an EPA of -0.26 at a time, third best in the league – makes no more use of Cover-0, Cover-1 and 2-Man in the 2021 season and beyond.