Josh Jackson showed some promise during his rookie season. The second round pick out of Iowa started 10 games and showed flashes of ability in 2018, his first season in the NFL.

But in 2019, Jackson took a big step back. After playing in 68 percent of the Packers defensive snaps in his rookie season, he fell off to just 10 percent of the snaps in his second campaign. As a rookie, Jackson made 49 tackles, broke up 10 passes and recovered a fumble. But last season, he made only 11 tackles.

Jackson didn’t play very well last year in his limited time on the field. Opposing quarterbacks completed 85.7 percent of their passes when Jackson was in coverage according to pro-football-reference.com and they had a quarterback rating of 143.7.

One reason for the stark reduction in playing time for Jackson was a foot injury he suffered in training camp. That held him back and allowed other players to pass him on the depth chart.

“I just think the setback going way back to the beginning of the year, just not being out there, got him behind,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said in the middle of last season. “Will Redmond and Chandon [Sullivan] both have played a lot of reps and gotten their own little niche in what they’re doing. And they’re doing a nice job on special teams as well. So that got him behind. He hasn’t really been able to overcome those guys.”

At that time, Pettine also felt Jackson was best suited to play in the slot. “Part of it too is just us trying to find a permanent home for him. Do we want him as an outside corner?” Pettine added. “He showed a lot of progress this offseason, in the beginning of the year, playing the nickel for us. That’s ultimately his best spot, which, obviously, Tramon [Williams] is entrenched there too. He’s a versatile guy, but we want to avoid him becoming the jack of all trades, master of none. He can play outside, play a little safety, play nickel. We want to find a permanent home for him.”

The nickel spot is open right now. The Packers have yet to re-sign Tramon Williams (although that remains a possibility). Chandon Sullivan and Jackson are among the top candidates to fill that position.

It was a big disappointment that Jackson was unable to beat out an undrafted player like Sullivan and a player the Packers picked up on waivers like Redmond to earn playing time. He is now entering this third NFL season and needs to prove he can establish himself as a bona fide NFL defensive back.

One issue for Jackson is his lack of top speed. His 40-time was 4.56 which is not slow but far from elite for an NFL cornerback. Jackson is better at zone coverage than man coverage which is why his best position in the NFL may be as a nickel or slot corner. He could also be well suited to play bump and run in the NFL with his long arms and physicality although he hasn’t gotten much of a chance to do that yet in Green Bay.

There are some who suggested he be moved to safety, where his lack of speed may not be as big an issue, but that would be another adjustment as Jackson would need to learn the techniques of playing a new position.

Jackson only started 14 games in college. He did not have a lot of experience so it shouldn’t be too much of a shock that he needs time to adjust to playing in the NFL. At Iowa, Jackson was a ballhawk, intercepting eight passes in his final year there and returning two of those for touchdowns. In his first two seasons in the NFL, Jackson has yet to intercept a pass. His lack of playing time in 2019 certainly contributed to that, but this season, Jackson needs to show more ball skills if he hopes to become a bigger contributor on defense.

Jackson has contributed on special teams in the past and he can help his cause to make the roster if he can contribute there again this season. His biggest moment came in Week 2 of the 2018 season when he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone to score his only NFL touchdown.

So much is at stake for Jackson this season. He can step up and become an integral part of the team this year with a strong training camp. With Kevin King’s contract up after 2020, Jackson may have an opportunity to prove he can take over as the starter in the future or at least carve out a specific role for himself on the team this season. If he falters in training camp, he may not even make the team this year and his career could be at a real crossroads.

Jackson entered the NFL with a lot of promise and potential. Unless he can show the ability to realize that talent in camp this year, his football career could be over before he ever gets the chance to thrive in the NFL.