Arizona Cardinals reportedly have interest in Adoree Jackson

The front office of the Arizona Cardinals is receiving high praise this offseason, and rightfully so. Additions to the roster like J.J. Watt, A.J. Green, Rodney Hudson and Matt Prater have the club’s fans extremely excited for the upcoming campaign. Despite the impressive acquisitions, the Cards still have areas of weakness, especially at a position that can make or break their defense.

At the present time, Arizona has only two players (Byron Murphy, Robert Alford) at the cornerback spot who have starting experience on their NFL resume. There was hope that free agent Patrick Peterson would return to the nest, but the eight-time Pro Bowler took his talents to the Minnesota Vikings. However, there’s a cover guy who’s currently unemployed who the Cardinals reportedly have some interest in.

Adoree Jackson is a fifth-year corner who’s a former first-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans. The 25-year old missed most of last season with a knee injury that cost him 13 games. Nevertheless, the Cards are looking to add the talented young Jackson to their defensive backfield.

Jackson was the 18th-overall pick of the Titans back in 2017 out of the University of Southern California. The 5’11,185 pounder won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back following the 2016 campaign, and was voted Consensus All-American that year as well. In 2014, Jackson was named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year for the Trojans.

Back in 2017, Jackson started all 16 contests for Tennessee as a rookie. The Illinois native racked up 61 tackles, three forced fumbles and an eye-popping 17 passes defensed that season. The next year, in 2018, Jackson recorded 67 tackles,10 pass breakups and the only two interceptions of his professional career.

Then, in 2019, Jackson missed four of Tennessee’s matchups with an injured foot. In 11 appearances (10 starts), the cornerback registered 45 tackles and six passes defensed for the Titans.

Arizona will have competition for Jackson’s services. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the veteran has visits lined up with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. USA Today’s Mike Jones has indicated that the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders are also interested in Jackson.

The Cardinals are in desperate need of a cover guy. Landing the highly-coveted Jackson would go a long way in solving that issue for the organization. Perhaps general manager Steve Keim will find a way to sign him to a contract in the coming days.