Patriots acquire CB Michael Jackson in trade with Detroit

The Patriots came into this offseason with an embarrassment of riches as cornerback. That didn’t stop them from adding to the position on Sunday, acquiring Michael Jackson in a trade with the Detroit Lions for an undisclosed 2022 draft pick.

Jackson, 23, was a fifth-round pick (158th overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. He started his career on the Cowboys’ practice squad before the Lions signed him to their 53-man roster. Jackson, who has good size at 6-foot-1, [...]

The Patriots came into this offseason with an embarrassment of riches as cornerback. That didn’t stop them from adding to the position on Sunday, acquiring Michael Jackson in a trade with the Detroit Lions for an undisclosed 2022 draft pick.

Jackson, 23, was a fifth-round pick (158th overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. He started his career on the Cowboys’ practice squad before the Lions signed him to their 53-man roster. Jackson, who has good size at 6-foot-1, played in one game last season with Detroit and didn’t register any stats.

In college, Jackson was a standout cornerback for Miami. He led the Hurricanes in interceptions (four) as a junior). As a senior, he was named to the honorable mention all-ACC team. Now, he’ll compete for a spot in the deepest depth chart on the Patriots. The Pats return every cornerback from last season. That includes the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, JoeJuan Williams, Justin Bethel and D’Angelo Ross. The Patriots also added undrafted free agent Myles Bryant.

In the event the Patriots move someone to safety, like Williams, there could be room on the roster for another bigger cornerback like Jackson.

The Patriots entered this week with multiple roster spots open due to an NFL-high eight player opt outs. The Patriots still have three roster spots open and most recently had tight end Jordan Leggett and defensive tackle Darius Kilgo in for visits last Friday.

Jackson marks the first veteran trade for the Patriots this offseason.

mdaniels@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ