By DJ Stanec (@djstanec)
The Denver Broncos’ lack of depth at cornerback last season left the secondary exploited many times. It’s why corner was a position that was needed bolstering most of all according to Pro Football Focus. To remedy that, the Broncos signed cornerback Kareem Jackson to a three-year, $33 million deal, in early March.
Jackson, who is about a year older than Broncos Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris Jr., has never made a Pro Bowl himself despite his great play for years.
Jackson sat down with Les Shapiro of Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 radio to talk about his new team and his play.
“In this league, you’ve got to have (pass) rushers,” Jackson said. “Von is arguably one of the best rushers in the game and Bradley Chubb is going into his second year but the guy carries himself like a vet. I had a chance to play against him last year and had a chance to see some of the things he was doing and he’s a special talent. Getting a chance to watch those guys on a week to week basis, I know they’re going to make my job easier.”
Jackson, who had impressive tackle numbers last year, is excited to increase his defensive stats playing alongside the dynamic duo of Chubb and Miller.
In his nine-year career, Jackson has racked up 88 passes defended, 16 interceptions and forced six fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the seventh-best cornerback in the league last year, with an 85.7 overall grade.
“I think it was me getting the chance to be versatile,” he explained if the success. “Me getting the chance to play a bunch of different spots. My coaches put me in some great situations to make plays for our team.”
Denver now has three top-20 corners from 2018 according to PFF, with the addition of Bryce Callahan in the nickel cornerback position, a core that was noted as needing some bolstering.
Click here to listen to the full interview with Kareem Jackson, including what he had to say about his new quarterback Joe Flacco, or listen to the podcast below.
Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup. Download the all-new free Mile High Sports Radio mobile app for Apple or Android.