Four Packers players who might be finished in Green Bay

Josh Jackson

A top cornerback prospect out of Iowa that seemingly fell into the Packers’ laps in the second round in the 2018 draft, Josh Jackson hasn’t lived up to that potential yet. With cornerback being a major need in 2018, the Packers took cornerbacks with each of their first two picks in Jaire Alexander and Jackson.

Many Packers fans were hoping they’d create a dynamic cornerback tandem that had the ability to shut down receivers, something the Packers haven’t had in a long time. Alexander is quickly becoming a top corner in the NFL but Jackson, on the other hand, hasn’t even really been on the field.

In his rookie season, Jackson gave up over 500 yards and three touchdowns. When quarterbacks targeted him, they had a 106.1 passer rating. But as a rookie, time to adjust was expected. In his rookie season, he played 718 defensive snaps (68 percent) and 190 special teams snaps (40 percent).

This season, he barely sniffed the field on defense. He was on the field for just 103 (10 percent) defensive snaps. That’s a drop of over 600 defensive plays he wasn’t in on. Instead, his special teams snaps increased to 224 (52 percent). In his limited reps on defense this past season, he was targeted seven times, giving up six completions for 63 yards and a touchdown. Not great.

I don’t think the Packers envisioned a second-round pick to be a player who is more active on special teams than on defense. I don’t think they will consider just cutting Jackson. They may try to find a trade partner who thinks they can use Jackson so the Packers can get some value back. If they can’t trade Jackson, he may find his way back onto the roster in hopes that he can get more involved.