The Los Angeles Chargers went through a significant overhaul with their secondary, and one of their new additions has already made life tough on one NFL team.
This offseason, the Chargers saw Asante Samuel Jr., Eli Apple, and Kristian Fulton hit the free agency market. Los Angeles will be leaning on their younger cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart to step up.
That didn't stop the Chargers from signing free agents to help boost the secondary. Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste are looking to make an impact as the more veteran guys on the team.
One of them has a checkered history of being a shutdown cornerback for them and not allowing anything or anyone getting past him.
How Jackson has shut down one team so well over the past five years
PFF writer Dalton Wasserman named each team's Achilles' heel that has made thier life miserable over the past five years. Jackson was that guy for the Chicago Bears from his time with the Carolina Panthers.
"Jackson is perhaps the most unexpected name on this list, but in two recent matchups with Chicago, he shut down the Bears‘ receivers. Across those outings in 2020 and 2023, Jackson allowed just three catches on eight targets for a total of 12 yards. He also recorded three pass breakups. The 93.1 PFF coverage grade that Jackson earned in the 2023 matchup represents his career high."
Over his seven-year career, Jackson has racked up 341 tackles, 54 pass deflections, 19 interceptions, 17 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles in 95 games. He spent six of those seven years with the Panthers and was with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year.
The Chargers signed Jackson during the offseason on a two-year, $13 million deal that will keep him with the team through the 2026 season. He's expected to be in competition for one of the outside cornerback jobs with Hart being the other once he is healthy.
Jackson has been a reliable starter in the NFL, having started 91 of the 95 games he has appeared in. At 29, he is looking to return to the field as a starter and serve as a mentor to the young Chargers secondary.
How much Jackson will play will be one of the big questions entering training camp, but he looks to play the part of veteran leader among the group.