Washington Commanders cornerback William Jackson III had another forgettable performance on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Jackson racked up 70 penalty yards, as he got caught out of position multiple times defending the Cowboys defenders.
However, the biggest lowlight of the day for the high-priced defensive back resulted in the knockout blow in Washington’s 25-10 loss.
Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb made a tremendous out-in move on Jackson en route to a 30-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Cooper Rush.
Following the game, Jackson said he expected safety help inside the formation.
“Yeah, I was thinking I had a guy in the middle of the field and I was just going to play it outside in,” Jackson said, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “But, they did a good job of creating a 2-by-2 and taking the safety out.”
On replay Commanders safety Kamren Curl appears in the camera view trailing as Lamb crosses the goal line.
Jackson backpedaled as if he was in zone coverage and expecting help inside. That help never came because the Cowboys ran a second receiver at Curl to pull him off his key.
Nonetheless, Jackson takes responsibility for the play.
“I just have to play that better,” Jackson said, per Ben Standing of the Athletic. “You can’t (assume). I think I had time to look over (at the safety).”
Jackson signed a three-year, $40.5M contract with the Commanders as a free agent in 2021, including $26M in guarantees. Jackson’s tenure in Washington has been underwhelming thus far.
The Commanders have leaned on a zone-heavy scheme under defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio since the 2020 season. Jackson’s fit into the system is questionable. Many view Jackson as a better man-to-man cornerback.
The day wasn’t all dreadful for Jackson against the Cowboys. Late in the game, Jackson broke up a pass in man coverage.
Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Jackson’s comfortability and play will be imperative for the Commanders to turn their season around. Sunday’s loss was the team’s third straight, dropping them to a 1-3 record.
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