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WEEE-WOOOO. BREAKING NEWS.
I was filling myself up on branch chain amino acids from some vegan chocolate thing my roommate was given by his mother, just wasting my life, scrolling, waiting for them to kick in before going to the gym to get strong while listening to the new Freddie Gibbs album when I saw these two tweets. These two life-changing, game-breaking, ocean-splitting, tectonic plate smashing tweets.
Bill O’Brien is a guest on @SportsRadio610 and said the plan is to move veteran CB Kareem Jackson to safety full time.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) June 22, 2018
Likely not a shock, but Bill O’Brien mentioned on the Triple Threat that Kareem Jackson is being moved full time to safety, and he will compete there
— Mike Meltser (@MikeMeltser) June 22, 2018
Yes, yes, yes, it’s finally happening. Kareem Jackson is finally moving to safety full time. This was confirmed by Bill O’Brien on Sports Radio 610 this afternoon. According to Football Outsiders’ Premium Charting Data, Jackson was targeted 77 times last year, allowing 8.1 yards a pass, for a success rate of 52%, surrendering 1.4 yards after the catch, with the average attempt traveling 11.1 yards through the air last year. This is all really bad. The only good news was that Kareem still tackled well, missing a tackle only 15.8% of the time.
Jackson has never been precise with his footwork. He’s made up for it as a cornerback with athleticism and physicality. But now, as the aging progress marches on, he’s lost a step. With that lost step, his ability to play cornerback successfully has also gone away. Oh, and being unable to look for the ball or turn around doesn’t help either.
This is a move the Texans probably should have made two or three years ago. Quintin Demps, Kurtis Drummond, Rahim Moore...there have been a ton of terrible safeties playing in Houston before Andre Hal took over. The position seems better suited for Jackson’s skills, and it should allow him to play better as the gray hairs keep arriving.
Things are still murky for Jackson, though. The Texans have Tyrann Mathieu and just drafted Justin Reid; Reid should be able to come in and play right away. If anything, with Hal being sidelined indefinitely, Jackson could be a third safety for Houston this year and slide to the nickel corner spot if something terrible happens injury-wise.