Tennessee Titans: Adoree’ Jackson quietly having a great season

Tennessee Titans cornerback Adoree’ Jackson is quietly having a great season.

While he’s had a few major blunders in the first half of 2019, Tennessee Titans cornerback Adoree’ Jackson is actually having a great season in coverage.

Unfortunately, it has been hard to put a spotlight on his success with those aforementioned blunders — the bad pass interference he committed in Week 2 and the punt he muffed in Week 3  — and with the offense struggling to the point that it has overshadowed everything and rightfully has the fan base in DEFCON 1 over it.

However, as Pro Football Focus points out, Jackson is actually playing well at corner, and PFF’s Ben Linsey has him ranked as the No. 17 player at his position in the NFL through five weeks.

As Linsey notes, Jackson has been targeted just 16 times and allowed 11 receptions in five games. Even more impressively, Jackson’s season-high in receiving yards allowed is 45, and he hasn’t allowed more than 30 in a game since that Week 1 showing.

"Over his first two seasons, Jackson had been one of the more heavily targeted cornerbacks in the NFL. His 214 targets across the 2017 and 2018 regular seasons ranked second in the league behind only Kyle Fuller. This year he has seen just 16 targets and allowed 11 receptions across five games, largely making the opposing receiver a non-factor. Jackson hasn’t allowed over 30 yards receiving in a game since Week 1 when he allowed 45 yards on four catches."

Overall, Jackson has earned a solid grade of 72.9, and while there is always room for debate with PFF grades, the raw numbers show that his grade and ranking are both legit.

And it’s certainly not for a lack of facing talented wideouts. The Titans have seen outside receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones through the first five weeks, neither of whom did particularly well.

I mean, who needs Jalen Ramsey, right?

All kidding aside, one of Jackson’s biggest issues has been consistency over the first two years of his career. Prior to the start of the season, Jackson talked about improving his mental state in order to become more consistent — and it seems to have worked, punt returns not withstanding.

In reality, the Titans secondary as a whole has been dominant and remains one of the best units in the NFL, which is another reason why it’s hard to stand out among this group.

But Jackson’s placement on this list above the rest of his “MMCNB” mates at corner says a lot about the season he’s having.