Houston Texans Positional Breakdown: Cornerback

Oct 13, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson (25) walks on the field with his mother Rossalyn Jackson before the game against the St. Louis Rams at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Kareem Jackson, 5’10” 188 Pounds, 27 Years Old

The Houston Texans gave a big contract, four-years at $34 million, to Jackson despite his lack of turnovers (ten interceptions in five years). Too often teams overpay for average cornerback play and regret it very quickly.

Some examples include Cortland Finnegan with St. Louis, Brandon Carr with Dallas and Nnamdi Asomugha with Philadelphia. Only Carr is still n the league, and the others lasted such a short time with their huge deals, hardly any fans remember they were there.

Some Background Info;

Jackson played collegially at powerhouse program Alabama and was selected in the first round, 20th overall by Houston. He started 16 games his rookie year and has been on the field without missing many games in his five seasons, until this last year (six missed games with three coming last year).

He had 71 tackles and two interceptions his rookie year, but his best season was 2012 when he deflected 16 passes and picked off four while getting 53 tackles. While Jackson has been a good corner, I don’t know if he has the numbers of an elite guy, which is how he was paid.

What To Expect This Year;

Texans fans have to hope Jackson is able to earn the contract he was given, and not fall to the same category as the guys mentioned earlier. Perhaps I am dead wrong and Jackson will be even more of an impact player in 2015.

I believe he is a good, not great player, and will get close to his normal stats of roughly 55 tackles and two interceptions.

Next: The Vet In His Final Year?