Patriots: 4 players New England needs to extend before 2020 concludes

2. CB JC Jackson

The Patriots could keep grooming JC Jackson to be a top cornerback.

With Stephon Gilmore making all the headlines after winning Defensive Player of the Year, many forget about the contributions JC Jackson has made to the Patriots’ staunch defense. And now that he’s entering a contract year, the team needs to pounce if they want to keep him in town, because he’ll be a hot commodity in free agency.

As a rookie, Jackson helped the Patriots stymie the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. In two years with the team, he’s recorded 60 tackles and eight interceptions across 29 games (11 starts). Fellow cornerback Jason McCourty, who’s had a very long NFL career, said earlier this offseason that the “sky’s the limit” for the 24-year-old out of Maryland.

He’s in a little bit of a different situation since he’ll be hitting restricted free agency, but it’d be smart to get him under contract as soon as possible. Despite character concerns after being dismissed from the University of Florida, Jackson has already bought into the Patriot Way, proving he can succeed on the best defense in the NFL. And he plays a valuable position.

Gilmore won’t be around forever, and we can’t say the Patriots have a glut of cornerbacks waiting in the wings. Sure, Belichick has made it his business to turn guys like Jackson into everyday contributors, but when that finally pans out and you can keep him for a decent price, you have to do it. Jackson doesn’t figure to break the bank and might want to stay in NE given how he’s gotten his career back on track.

Did we mention he’s only allowed one touchdown since his debut? Yeah, keep the guy.