GREEN BAY – Sometimes, all a player needs is a change of scenery. And sometimes, that’s not even enough to jumpstart his career.
The Green Bay Packers and New York Giants are hoping the cornerback swap they agreed to on Tuesday – a deal that sent Isaac Yiadom to the Packers and shipped Josh Jackson to the Giants – will allow both of the disappointing 2018 draft picks to find success.
ESPN.com first reported the trade, which a source confirmed later Tuesday.
Jackson, a second-round pick from Iowa in 2018, struggled during the Packers’ preseason-opening 26-7 loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday, and when the team returned to practice on Monday, Jackson had tumbled down the depth chart from starting against the Texans (with starting corners Jaire Alexander and Kevin King not playing) to the third-team defense behind Alexander, King, rookie first-round pick Eric Stokes and Kabion Ento, a converted wide receiver who had an interception against Houston and moved past Jackson.
Yiadom, meanwhile, has now been traded twice in the span of less than a year. A Denver Broncos third-round pick from Boston College in 2018, Yiadom played two seasons with the Broncos, seeing action in 29 games (nine starts) with one interception and seven pass break-ups.
Last September, the Broncos sent him to the Giants and got a seventh-round pick for him while Yiadom played in all 16 games (10 starts) for the Giants last season. He didn’t intercept a pass and had five pass break-ups, but according to Pro Football Reference, he allowed an opponent passer rating of 120.1.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Yiadom is in the final year of his rookie contract, as is Jackson.
Jackson seemed like a second-round steal in 2018, when he was projected as a likely first-round pick but was still available when the Packers went on the clock at No. 45 – and 27 picks after general manager Brian Gutekunst, in his first draft as GM, had taken Alexander at No. 18.
As a rookie, Jackson played in all 16 games (10 starts) and was on the field for 718 snaps, but he fell out of favor thereafter. In 2019, he played just 103 defensive snaps, and last year, he was on track to play even less on defense until King was sidelined for five games with a quadriceps injury. Jackson wound up starting those five games and played 293 snaps over that five-game span. He played just 38 snaps on defense the rest of the season, including only three after King returned.
He was inactive for four of the final six regular-season games and inactive for both playoff games.
Dolegala returns
It may only be for a few days, but quarterback Jake Dolegala is returning to the Packers while Jordan Love’s injured right throwing shoulder has his availability for the week up in the air.
The Packers didn’t announce the signing, but Dolegala’s representatives at Generation Sports Group announced he was re-signing with the Packers.
Dolegala signed with the Packers in June after taking part in the team’s mandatory minicamp on a tryout basis when the Packers were unsure whether three-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers would be returning for the 2021 season. Dolegala was released on July 27, along with veteran Blake Bortles, when Rodgers decided to report to training camp and return to the team after missing all of the offseason program.
The New England Patriots claimed Dolegala off waivers, but they released him on Aug. 9 to sign long-snapper Brian Khoury.
Roster moves
The Packers got down to the 85-player roster limit by the NFL’s 3 p.m. deadline with three moves: They placed tight end Isaac Nauta and wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins on season-ending injured reserve, and they released offensive lineman Zack Johnson. Nauta sustained a chest injury against the Texans, while Thompkins suffered a shoulder injury.
Once Dolegala’s signing becomes official, the Packers will need to make another move to get back to the 85-player limit.
