Most Valuable Bills: CB Dane Jackson ranks 27th
The Buffalo Bills didn't know quite what to do with rookie cornerback Dane Jackson as a rookie last season.
One minute, he'd be on the practice squad. The next, he'd be up on the active roster. On and on the rollercoaster ride went for the entire season.
By the time it was finished, Pro Football reference listed 22 transactions between the end of training camp and the end of the season.
Jackson would play in five regular-season games, with two starts, finishing with 15 tackles, an interception and five passes defended.
Through it all, the coaching staff saw enough in the seventh-round draft pick to prevent him from getting away. And now he's in a battle with seven others, including incumbent Levi Wallace and rookies Rachad Wildgoose, Nick McCloud and Olaijah Griffin, for the starting job opposite Tre'Davious White.
Thus, as we count down the days to training camp with a day-by-day unveiling of the projected 30 Most Valuable Bills, Jackson comes in at No. 27.
That ranking could rise dramatically if Jackson wins the starting job, which apparently would surprise nobody. Widely considered to have made giant strides in the offseason, Jackson features confidence and hunger levels that are growing exponentially.
The head-turning began before the Bills' offseason program even began, when workout videos were posted to Twitter. Jackson was among the players who hooked up with perennial All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams.
"He motivated me this offseason with some of the training he's been doing," safety Jordan Poyer marveled.
The drive continued at 1 Bills Drive during OTAs in May and early June.
"It’s still early," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "We’re only in our fifth OTA practice today, but I can see how he’s handling himself in the meetings, the way he carries himself in practice. He’s not that shy rookie that I saw when we had camp a year ago, that guy who didn’t say two words, and you had to pull him up front to just get to know him a little bit.
"Now he’s out there high-fiving, talking with his teammates, laughing and joking."
And proving the practice squad is a fast-disappearing dot in his rear-view mirror.
"That dude can play," said Poyer, a nine-year vet. "He’s only going to gain confidence the more he plays. I think the sky is the limit for that dude."
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
