The Buffalo Bills entered the 2022 season with plenty of questions surrounding the cornerback position. The team had lost last year’s starter, Levi Wallace, in free agency to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tre’Davious White was working his way back from a torn ACL and it remained to be seen when he could return.
The front office added to the position in the NFL Draft by selecting Kaiir Elam in the first round and Christian Benford in the sixth round but it was Dane Jackson that would emerge as a starter to begin the year.
Dane Jackson was a seventh-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 NFL Draft and would take over as the starter in 2021 after White’s injury, starting six regular season games. He would then be the starter for most of this past season, starting 14 games. The only games he missed were early in the season when he suffered a scary neck injury against the Tennessee Titans.
In total this past season, Jackson had 57 total tackles, two interceptions, and 12 passes defended.
Should the Buffalo Bills re-sign Dane Jackson this offseason?
The first decision that the Buffalo Bills will need to make is whether or not they offer a qualifying offer to Dane Jackson as he could be a restricted free agent. The qualifying offer determines the salary and what the compensation might be from another team that might sign the free agent.
If the Bills elect to not extend a qualifying offer then Jackson would be an unrestricted free agent.
However, the Buffalo Bills should offer a qualifying offer because it is rare to find a player like Dane Jackson with his starting experience at the salary that comes with the qualifying offer. Entering 2023, Jackson at a minimum would provide good depth at the position behind hopefully Tre’Davious White and Kaiir Elam, who should be the starters next season.