Steelers' Teryl Austin Is 'Not Surprised' About New Cornerback's Constant Turnovers

Through the first six weeks of the season, Jackson has already racked up three interceptions, including one to seal victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. He is currently on a streak of two consecutive games with a pick as well, as he did so in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys and Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Moral of the story: don't throw the ball where Jackson has a chance to make a play on it. 

Jackson came from Carolina in exchange for Diontae Johnson and a late-round pick swap. Despite struggling immensely with the Panthers, the Steelers did not see a guy that was over-aggressive. They saw a cornerback with big play potential, especially since he would see plenty of targets throughout all their games. So far, they have been completely right about that.

Steelers Found Their Perfect Complement To Their Top Cornerback

Joey Porter Jr., the other starting corner, has quickly made a reputation for himself as a shutdown press corner that quarterbacks tend to avoid. That means that guys like Jackson end up getting more passes thrown their way, and it works to perfection. Porter locks on to the opponents' top receiver, which leads to Jackson getting most of the big-play chances. It may be a thankless job for the young cornerback, but that kind of teamwork helps the rest of the defense out. 

Jackson has allowed a completion percentage (comp%) of 53.6% in 2024. If he keeps that pace up, that will be his best season ever, as his next best campaign was in 2020, when he allowed 56.9 comp%. He is also one interception shy of tying his own single-season record, which he set in his rookie season in 2018. It's safe to say that the Steelers knew exactly what they were doing when they executed this trade. 

While Jackson may not be a perfect CB1, he has been a perfect scheme fit for the Steelers. The original trade to get him did not look great at the start, but the Steelers obviously had a plan for him. Using him as a ballhawk on one side works great when Porter is manhandling the receiver on the other side and not letting him get any sort of separation. 

Jackson came into Pittsburgh with one year left on his deal. With how well he fits into the Steelers' scheme, he may end up getting a nice little pay raise. There are very few one-two punches at the cornerback position across the NFL that have the same intensity as the Steelers' duo. All of that is why Austin is not the least bit shocked by the production coming out of the veteran CB2.