The Tennessee Titans drafted Adoree Jackson with the idea that he’d become one of the NFL’s elite weapons on special teams. Despite a rough two-plus seasons, head coach Mike Vrabel isn’t ready to abandon that project. According to Coach Vrabel:
“I think we’re going to focus on improving in that unit – that’s something we have to improve on. There’s been accountability there. … Hump has done it and he’ll continue to do it, and Adoree’ is going to continue to work on it. We feel like he has a skill set that can help us.”
Alternate return specialist Adam Humphries claimed that the return unit was aiming for 10 yards per return. Kind of a strange and meaningless goal. That’s over-analyzing minor detail. What’s far more important than averaging an extra couple yards per return is making wise decisions. That largely deals with ball security.
That was on display during Tennessee’s Week 3 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Watch this video featuring Jackson’s first punt return:
Jaguars rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew completed a touchdown pass that gave them a quick 7-0 lead. The Jaguars maintained momentum throughout the night. Their defense is built to play ahead. That’s how they earned the nickname “Sacksovnille.” They spent the remainder of the game harassing Marcus Mariota.
Think about it. Tennessee’s returners stressing for that extra two yards. If what happened on Thursday night happens even one time during the season, that’s the equivalent of a 60-yard pass interference penalty plus momentum loss. Risk allowing seven points for the chance at an extra couple yards? Muffing and fumbling punts is completely unacceptable.
Fans and critics have reached a boiling point on Jackson’s failures as a returner. They’re perplexed as to why the franchise keeps trotting him out. The Titans want to maximize return on investment for a player whom they drafted with the No. 18 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Much of his intrigue revolved around his ability to provide a Devin Hester element to a special teams unit.
Maybe Jackson will rediscover what made him such a prolific returner during his college days. The Titans shouldn’t force the issue. There are three key reasons for this.
Ineffective
The highly praised return skills of Adoree Jackson haven’t transitioned from the Pac-12 to the NFL. In his third season, Jackson has yet to score a touchdown. His 53 career returns include five fumbles. If one excludes his rookie season, he has four fumbles on 19 returns. He makes terrible decisions. He doesn’t protect the football. Even when he does these things, his value is limited. As an NFL returner, he hasn’t been anywhere near good enough.
I can’t promise that Humphries will do any better—his career as a punt returner includes five fumbles on 51 returns. The 2016-17 season was the last time he had a return of more than 20 yards. While Humphries doesn’t necessarily provide a superior option, this isn’t a matter of Humphries vs Jackson. The Titans could sign someone who specializes at this.
The important discussions revolve around the risks associated with developing him as a special teams force.
Weighing Risk and Rewards
Watch this TitansOnline video hyping this as one of Adoree Jackson’s most impressive NFL returns. While this wasn’t anything special, what’s important is his limp afterwards. The last thing Tennessee needed against Indianapolis was a gimpy Jackson lined up across T.Y. Hilton.
Most teams reserve special teams to role players. They’re not risking injuries to key starters. There’s a reason that starting defensive backs rarely return punts. That’s because they’re fatigued from playing the previous set of downs. A starting offensive player has enough time to recover with a commercial break and the defense covering at least three downs. Jackson spends at least three downs tackling opposing running backs and running downfield with opposing No. 1 wide receivers. Then he’s immediately thrust back to return a punt.
Using Adoree Jackson on special teams isn’t unconventional wisdom; it’s recklessness. First and foremost, the Titans drafted him as a shutdown cornerback. At least, I’d hope so. They drafted him No. 18 overall.
Which brings me to my next point…
Priority
Developing Adoree Jackson’s special teams upside is a bonus. What’s far more important is his maturation as a cornerback. A to Z Sports Nashville’s contributor Chris Walker wrote an article discussing whether it makes sense to trade the cornerback. While I’m nowhere near that point, Walker makes a case about why Jackson hasn’t lived up to his draft pedigree. Walker claimed:
Where Jackson’s numbers take a dip is in advanced stats. He ranked behind all but one (Marshon Lattimore) corner from the first round of the 2017 draft in every productivity stat last season. These stats include receptions allowed, yards allowed, yards per reception, pass breakups, and touchdowns allowed. He ranked 82, 84, 63, 38, and 51 in each respective category among all corners in the league.
Consider an upcoming Week 4 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Logan Ryan should spend most of his time shutting down slot receiver Mohamed Sanu. Running back Devonta Freeman hasn’t found a rhythm. That puts an even greater emphasis on Matt Ryan using Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley to attack Malcolm Butler and Jackson.
Every practice rep Jackson receives should go towards defense. With a lackluster offense, it becomes even more important for every member of that defense to do its role. First and foremost, Jackson is a cornerback. He was drafted to become the player who could neutralize No. 1’s. Get him up to speed on that end.
Conclusion: Mike Vrabel is Responsible for All Future Incidents
Nearly everybody I’ve heard has criticized this organization for continuously trotting out Adoree Jackson for punt returns. Those concerns are warranted. Maybe Jackson eventually becomes that player who scores a couple touchdowns per season. Is it worth the risk of stunting his growth or health as a starting cornerback? Is it worth incidents similar to the one in Jacksonville?
It’s fair to question his defensive abilities. He’s the defense’s version of Mariota: inconsistent. My point is that it’s insane to risk the No. 1 cornerback on special teams. Losing Adoree Jackson on punt returns won’t provide much of a drop off.
On the defense? The drop off is huge.
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Joshua Huffman was born and educated in Middle Tennessee. He has published content for Yahoo! Sports (via Contributor Network) and Titan Sized, among other venues. At SoBros, he’ll provide Daily Fantasy Sports suggestions and broad sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter (although I rarely use it).
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