In one of the more surprising moves from Sunday's final roster cuts, the Green Bay Packers are waiving sixth-round pick Domani Jackson, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
Jackson was one of just six draft picks made by the Packers back in April, and one of only five position players, with their final pick spent on kicker Trey Smack.
The former Alabama cornerback had a delayed start to training camp after undergoing core muscle surgery in the offseason, which put him behind the eight ball as he tried to make the roster.
He was able to return in time to play Green Bay’s final two preseason games, but perhaps it would have been better for his chances if he had not, as he turned in two pretty disastrous performances.
Jackson was targeted eight times in
the preseason and gave up six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. He allowed a passer rating of 149.3 in the finale against the Cardinals, and he also missed three tackles in the preseason.
Yet it was still a slight surprise to see him released, in part due to the Packers’ unusually small draft class this year, which was partially a result of the Micah Parsons trade last August.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has also not made a habit of cutting his draft picks as rookies, with Jackson becoming just the ninth instance since he took over in 2018. They did release seventh-round corner Micah Robinson last year, however.
There was also a chance the Packers would give Jackson the benefit of the doubt given he was put in a tough position by starting training camp so late.
However, the preseason performance was always going to be hard to ignore, and his worrying display was a continuation of some of his tape at Alabama, especially more recently, when he seemed to lack the confidence which is a non-negotiable at the corner position.
Whether Jackson returns on the Packers’ practice squad remains to be seen, and perhaps a year there is just what he needs as he tries to acclimate to the NFL level.
Jackson’s release means there are only set to be five true cornerbacks on Green Bay’s roster, with Brandon Cisse, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Benjamin St-Juste all locks, and Kamal Hadden likely to make it as the backup slot corner behind safety-by-trade Javon Bullard.
Fellow cornerbacks Shemar Bartholomew, MJ Devonshire and Jaylin Simpson have all also reportedly been released.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers releasing sixth-round pick Domani Jackson at final cuts
