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Writer's pictureSoor Vora

The Patriots' Latest Move Shows That They're Still Playing To Win

Foxborough, MA - The Patriots aren't giving up on 2023 after all. I should have expected as much - tanking a season is about as un-Belichickian as it gets. After a 1-3 start punctuated by a historically bad loss to Dallas, New England finds themselves reeling coming into an important game against New Orleans. While a lot of fans are starting to go by the motto "Tank for Caleb", and Caleb-doubters like myself were thinking "Tank for Penix", signing JC Jackson shows that the Patriots are still all in on maximizing 2023.


The Details

The Chargers are trading JC to New England, along with a seventh-round pick, in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Jackson returns to his old team, a team at which he was incredibly successful as the top corner, having 53 defended passes and 25 interceptions in his 39-game career as a Patriot.


This manifests as a beneficial trade for both teams. New England needed corner depth after Christan Gonzalez's injury, and get a corner who fit very well in their system, while LA loads off a corner who wasn't really working out in their defense.


What Does J.C. Bring?

With Christian Gonzalez injured in addition to Marcus Jones, and Jonathan and Jack Jones having uncertain return timelines (although it's expected sooner than later), the Patriots badly needed cornerback depth, especially given the extent to which Shaun Wade and Myles Bryant got exposed against Dallas.


JC brings speed, agility, and natural coverage instincts with excellent ball skills. He's able to keep elite receivers in check with his anticipation, and his experience has only refined that skill over time. In New England, he thrived off this, and was often able to jump routes and steal interceptions - in addition to anticipating under/overthrown balls faster than his matchup.


His tendencies as a ball hawk can come back to bite him if he guesses wrong, but over the years, he's gotten a lot better at smartly anticipating and picking his spots. His potential role as a mentor cannot be understated either - with Jack and Marcus Jones and Christan Gonzalez, the Patriots have three prominent cornerbacks in their first or second year.


He's also excellent at working with the rest of his cornerback cohort in zone coverage schemes, something that is paramount in New England. There have been countless cases of corners thriving in New England more so than anywhere else they play - and J.C. Jackson is proof of it. I expect him to be a lot closer to his pre-trade level than he has been so far this season, even if there will be a learning curve to get him there.


Jonathan Jones is an excellent corner, but he's not equipped to handle number one options. With JC there, he doesn't have to, and the Patriots can once again have a lethal secondary. The biggest takeaway here, however, is that New England is still playing to make the playoffs and salvage their season. Belichick believes in this team, and for now, so will I.



 

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