The Washington Football Team found a replacement for Ronald Darby.
Just a day after Darby signed a $ 30 million three-year contract with the Denver Broncos, Washington moved quickly to add a replacement for him outside.
According to several reports, William Jackson III will sign with Washington. And according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Jackson’s deal will be three years and will be worth up to $ 42 million.
Jackson must be a good replacement for Darby. The choice of Cincinnati Bengals in the first round was a good starter during his career and should pair well with Kendall Fuller in the long run.
William Jackson III looks like a great option for the Washington Football Team.
He is getting $ 14 million a year, which is $ 1 million less annually than Shaq Griffin, the biggest cornerback in the free agent market, and Jackson is getting just $ 6 million more in guarantees than Darby. That seems right for the 28-year-old who can serve as a good number one singer.
Jackson was a productive match for the Bengals. He missed his debut year with a knee injury, but in the four years since then, he has only lost five games in total. He averaged more than 10 pass separations a year and had a career record of 45 tackles last year at Cincy.
Speaking last year, Jackson was a bright spot in an otherwise bad Bengals defense. He was shot 69 times, the 40th biggest in the NFL, but allowed only 36 catches, tied for 62nd in the league. He plays with the ball, a solid, sticky covering and should benefit from playing in front of Fuller and behind a stellar pass.
Jackson is at his peak. He has a better track record of staying healthy than Darby and cost just $ 6 million more in guarantees (and up to just $ 12 million more in total). This was a good move by Washington and should continue to strengthen the rear of its defense.
Now, they can shift their focus to the offensive side of the ball and, hopefully, add some weapons around Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.