Philadelphia Eagles: Can Adoree’ Jackson be the team’s first FA splash?

The Philadelphia Eagles have had a very quiet free agency period thus far (outside of some weird JuJu Smith-Schuster rumors), but it’s never wise to rule out Howie Roseman when it comes to spending money during the offseason. The team has been a frequent spender in free agency since the controversial GM figure was hired, and despite limited cap space this spring, the general consensus is that the Eagles will try to bring a free agent or two in via a severely “backloaded” contract.

The Eagles reportedly threw a multi-year offer at Smith-Schuster on Friday afternoon, which at least confirms the theory that the team is in the market for some new players this offseason.

One name that Philadelphia has seen themselves legitimately linked to over the last couple of hours is that of Adoree’ Jackson, former cornerback for the Tennessee Titans. Jackson is scheduled to visit with the New York Giants first, with a trip to Philly lined up on Monday.

A first-round pick in 2017, Jackson was having himself a promising start to his career as a boundary CB and kick/punt returner. He’s recorded 33 passes defensed and two interceptions across 41 starts for Tennessee, posting above average coverage stats during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

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However, this past year in 2020 was a rough one for Jackson, as he missed the majority of the season due to a knee injury. He only appeared in three games, posting an allowed completion percentage of 81.3% and a passer rating allowed when targeted of 145.8. Not great!

The Titans released Jackson this offseason partly due to a tightening financial situation, and partly due to his poor play/injury.

When it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles, kicking the tires on someone like Jackson makes a lot of sense. Despite the addition of Darius Slay last offseason, the team’s secondary still massively struggled. Even coming off a serious knee injury, the introduction of a 25 year old Jackson would be an instant upgrade.

Where the former Titan might worry Eagles fans is when it comes to his physical size. He stands in at just 5-11, 185lbs, which is definitely a tad undersized when it comes to playing on the boundary. The Eagles have struggled with shorter corners in the past, and new DC Jonathan Gannon runs a scheme that tends to highlight bigger, more physical DBs.

The Philadelphia Eagles are interested in CB Adoree’ Jackson.

Before anyone gets too carried away with envisioning Jackson in midnight green, there’s a half decent chance that the Giants don’t let him leave New York on Sunday. The Giants could use another CB themselves, and they (obviously) have more money to offer compared to Philly.

Any offer that the Philadelphia Eagles extend to Jackson would likely be similar to that of what they offered JuJu – multiple years with a lot of backloaded money. Not necessarily something free agents tend to jump at.

Whatever ends up happening with Jackson this weekend, the Eagles definitely need to find a way to add some CB depth this offseason. Whether it’s through the draft or through free agency, cornerback is a position that’s been long undervalued in Philadelphia.