Kareem Jackson is coming back to the Denver Broncos for another season. How might Jackson’s return impact the Broncos depth at the safety position?
Kareem Jackson signs one-year deal with the Denver Broncos
Kareem Jackson returns to the NFL for his 14th year in the league and for his fifth season with the Denver Broncos.
Jackson has been an integral part of the Broncos’ secondary and locker room for the past four seasons and is returning for his fifth on yet another one-year deal as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
For the past three NFL Free Agency periods, Jackson has signed one-year deals to come back to the Mile High City.
In 2022, he started and appeared in all 17 games for the Broncos who finished with a 5-12 record.
Despite the team’s struggles last season, the Broncos defense was one of the NFL’s more consistent units in yards per play, yards per game, and takeaways.
Jackson finished with the third most tackles on the team (94) last season just behind Alex Singleton (152) and Josey Jewell (128) while playing 100% of the team’s defensive snaps.
His longevity and durability have been impressive considering his hard-hitting, physical demeanor on the field.
As Sean Payton kicks off his first season as the Broncos’ head coach, he’ll rely heavily on the veteran presence that Jackson brings to the locker room and the football field.
While Jackson and Justin Simmons started at safety last season, it’s currently unclear whether things will change in that department going into this upcoming season.
Prior to Jackson’s return, it was expected on paper that Caden Sterns would get the opportunity to start next to Simmons in 2023 as the team looked deeper into their investment of the former fifth-round draft pick.
Sterns is coming off of a season-ending hip injury from last season that required surgery, but he is expected to be ready to go for training camp when it kicks off in July.
In the 2023 NFL Draft, general manager George Paton drafted former Boise State Broncos safety JL Skinner in the sixth round. Upon drafting Skinner, Paton and Payton reiterated that it didn’t impact whether or not they’d re-sign Jackson back to the roster.
“We’re open with [S] Kareem [Jackson],” Paton said following the NFL Draft. “The talks are ongoing. We’re speaking with Kareem and his agent, so we’re open.”
While talks were open, the Broncos’ re-signing of the veteran safety closes the door on the ambiguity surrounding a potential return.
He’ll reunite with defensive backs coach Christian Parker and positional counterparts Simmons, Sterns, P.J. Locke, Delarrin Turner-Yell and will introduce himself to Skinner once he officially signs his contract.
It will be interesting to see how Vance Joseph utilizes and manages the personnel the Denver Broncos have at the safety position.
