Analysis | How new cornerback William Jackson III fits into Washington’s defense

“Not enough people know about him because he played in Cincinnati,” former Washington security and present ESPN analyst Ryan Clark mentioned. “Cincinnati stinks. When you look at a team and they’re not good, you’re not necessarily looking at the individual pieces for what they’re doing.”

With velocity (4.37-second 40-yard sprint on the NFL mix), measurement (6-foot, 196 kilos) and ball abilities, Jackson has the bodily instruments coveted on the place. His profession numbers (solely three interceptions in 59 video games) fail to depict an elite cornerback, however in addition they fail to inform the entire story. He was focused in protection on solely 14.1 p.c of go performs over the previous three years, the fourth-lowest fee amongst beginning cornerbacks who performed not less than 2,000 snaps in that span.

“I just tell them to watch the tape,” Jackson mentioned. “I wasn’t getting thrown at a whole lot. … When you’re covering guys up, you don’t get many picks.”

Clark mentioned he believes Jackson is on the cusp of changing into extra of a family title, and Washington’s defense, led by its gifted line, may assist him get there. Washington jumped from the underside 5 to the highest 5 in most main classes in coordinator Jack Del Rio’s first season with the workforce.

“Every cornerback that has played under [Del Rio] has had successful years,” Jackson mentioned. “He’s a coach that knows exactly what he’s doing. Every corner succeeds in his defense. I’m just here to succeed and make it better.”

Just how will Jackson slot in Del Rio’s 4-3 scheme?

With the Bengals, Jackson performed primarily press-man protection, sticking to opponents’ No. 1 receivers a lot as he did towards Terry McLaurin in Washington’s win over Cincinnati final yr. The Bengals, according to Pro Football Focus, performed man protection, or cover-one with a single-high security, on the eighth-highest fee within the league. Washington, by comparability, was in man protection solely 21 p.c of the time, twenty first most within the NFL.

That Del Rio used extra zone than man has led some to ask whether or not Jackson will face a problem in transitioning to the scheme or whether or not Del Rio may make alterations to it based mostly on Jackson’s arrival.

But the notion of “fit,” particularly for defensive backs, requires context. NFL defenses, irrespective of the scheme, run a mixture of man and zone, typically in the identical play. When Wade Phillips was defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, he described his workforce’s protection as a “matchup zone” as a result of it used each man and zone protection concurrently.

“We say, ‘Hey, you’re playing this zone, but when a guy comes over there, you match with him,’ ” Phillips said in 2016. “ ‘You pass it off, just like in basketball. When another guy comes there, you go there.’ We play a lot of match zone, but people think we’re playing man-to-man. Hopefully that confuses them.”

Washington employed comparable techniques final yr, not simply with its scheme but in addition the strategy of its cornerbacks.

Take Washington’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5, when Kendall Fuller intercepted Jared Goff within the second quarter. Before the snap, Washington gave the impression to be in man protection however was really in a cover-two scheme. Fuller lined up extensive, throughout from extensive receiver Cooper Kupp. When Kupp started his route inside, Fuller turned his head as if he deliberate to observe, then rapidly turned to the quarterback and sunk again in protection between Kupp and the slot receiver, the place he made the interception.

It’s believable Del Rio may tweak his playbook to capitalize on Jackson’s strengths as a press-man cornerback, although neither he nor anybody else with Washington has indicated that. If something, Jackson’s talents give the workforce extra choices and flexibility within the defensive backfield.

Although Fuller was used primarily outdoors final season, he has performed all around the secondary in his profession. So, too, has cornerback Darryl Roberts, a recent signee who final performed in Detroit. The addition of Jackson may liberate each to maneuver round to the slot, outdoors and even free security in sure coverages.

“Where you sometimes lose the value of a player is when you say, ‘Okay, we’re paying him this, so we’re going to make him do all of these things,’ ” Clark mentioned. “Nah, the thing that made you pay him, you should probably let him do that as much as you possibly can. … Let [Jackson] play corner. Let him follow the number one [receiver] if you want. Maybe Kendall can slide inside at times. [Jackson] gives you an opportunity to move people around and do some different things schematically because of his man skills.”

Del Rio has labored with a number of cornerbacks who had beforehand performed extra man protection elsewhere and located success in his scheme. Included in that group is Aqib Talib, who whereas taking part in for Del Rio in Denver in 2014 had 4 interceptions, together with two returned for touchdowns, plus profession highs in passes defensed (16) and tackles for loss (three).

Darby was one other who performed principally man protection earlier than he signed with Washington. Last yr in Del Rio’s scheme — and within the first season he was totally wholesome — Darby recorded a career-high 16 passes defensed and was lauded by Coach Ron Rivera because the workforce’s “most consistent” cornerback.

Clark mentioned transitioning to a new scheme can include challenges, however the tougher change is for a zone cornerback who’s requested to play extra man protection.

“You already know [Jackson] has the requisite skill set to play the position, period,” Clark mentioned. “When you can do those things, fitting a guy into cover-two or fitting a guy into cover-three or fire zones, which are things run heavily by Jack Del Rio, those things can be done rather than trying to turn a guy who’s a primary zone corner into a press-man guy. … You allow good players to fit into your scheme, and then you use their special traits when needed.

“Darrelle Revis fit into the New England Patriots’ scheme. When they played really good number one receivers, they moved him on the number two [receiver] and doubled the number one. So they give you more schematic flexibility, but you still are going to be who you are at the core.”

At its core, Washington is led by its defensive position, a gaggle that boasts 4 first-round draft picks, together with reigning defensive rookie of the yr Chase Young. According to ESPN, Washington had the third-highest pass-rush win fee (50 p.c) final season, creating hassle for opposing quarterbacks however an incentive for cornerbacks equivalent to Jackson.

“It’s just a blessing to have that front,” Jackson mentioned. “We’ve got a lot of great guys up front. The quarterback’s not going to be able to hold the ball. When we were making the decision, it was very easy because of the front that we have. The defense is already very good. I’m just a piece to make it better.”