The New York Giants had a phenomenal defense in 2020. But the unit was not perfect. As good as the Giants’ secondary was, led by cornerback James Bradberry, there was room for improvement. Opposite of Bradberry, the Giants had a revolving door at CB2. In the 2021 offseason, New York seemingly solved this problem when they signed cornerback Adoree’ Jackson to a three-year, $39M contract.
James Bradberry established himself as a truly elite outside cornerback last season. But with two starting outside cornerbacks on a depth chart, the Giants lacked a second quality starter at the position. Adoree’ Jackson is not only quality, but he is high-quality as a former first-round pick who possesses the speed to shut down some of the NFL’s fastest wide receivers. The Giants are excited to have Jackson join Bradberry and form a potentially elite cornerback duo.
Adoree’ Jackson placing an emphasis on learning
Adoree’ Jackson is no rookie. He has been in the leagues for a few seasons now. 2021 will be Jackson’s fifth season in the NFL after he played the first four years of his career with the Tennessee Titans. In 2017, the Titans drafted Adoree’ in the first round of that year’s draft. He entered the league with high expectations and was viewed as an essential part of the Titans’ long-term plans on defense. However, the team cut him this offseason in an effort to create salary-cap space. The Giants capitalized on the situation and solidified their CB2 position by signing Adoree’ Jackson.
Despite being a seasoned (but still young) veteran in the league at this point in his career, Adoree’ Jackson is playing with the mindset of a rookie. Adoree’ has no chip on his shoulder as he enters his first season with the Giants. Instead, Jackson is placing an emphasis on learning and soaking up as much information as he can to improve his game:
No. What’s crazy is when I first came here, I treated myself like a rookie, like the new guy. That was my mindset every day, just trying to learn from everybody no matter who you are in the room because at the end of the day, if you’re doing something some way and I’m like, ‘How did you do it like that?’ and implement it to my game. So, for me I’m just trying to enjoy it and soak up all the information that I can because you’re never too old to learn and you’re never too young to learn, as well. So, I think that’s just been my mindset, just to think that I’m not anybody and trying to improve on my game. – Adoree’ Jackson when asked if he has a chip on his shoulder entering his first season with the Giants
While Adoree’s career in Tennessee ended with injuries and inconsistency, it began with impressive and reliable outside cornerback play. Since 2018, Adoree Jackson has the fourth-highest coverage grade when lined up outside according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 85.6. This grade has Jackson on a list with stars like Jaire Alexander, Richard Sherman, and Stephon Gilmore. The New York Giants defense could reach a new height guided by the duo of James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson in 2021.