Kareem Jackson has made it clear he wants to be more than just a veteran presence in the Broncos’ locker room.
The 35-year-old safety has been productive during his four years with Denver, totaling 342 tackles in 61 games and a career-best 94 stops in 2022. Still, Jackson is entering his 14th season and understands that some in the league might view him as a player near the end of the road.
Third-year Caden Sterns, 23, is primed to start alongside safety Justin Simmons in the regular season, as he has taken most of the first-team reps during training camp. Nonetheless, Jackson is not ready to take a backseat just yet.
“Whether there (are) people in this building that think that or guys on the outside, I’m gonna come out and let my play do the talking,” Jackson said. “If I couldn’t play at a high level, I wouldn’t be here.”
In the spring, Denver brought Jackson back on a one-year deal to strengthen the team’s secondary depth. Head coach Sean Payton thought highly of Jackson for his ability to stay healthy, as he has only missed eight games in his career.
Jackson’s return, however, ensured a battle for the starting spot opposite Justin Simmons between Jackson and Sterns.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph insists there’s no competition between the two players. He expects to have packages for both this season, and has gone out of his way to commend Jackson’s experience while calling Sterns “a great talent.”
Still, Sterns appears to be the front-runner for the starting job. Although he only played five games last season due to a hip injury, the former Texas standout proved as a rookie in 2021 that he has the talent to fill the role.
Jackson, who played nine seasons in Houston, doesn’t dwell on training camp snaps, only focusing on what he can control. He and Sterns started in Friday’s preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals, with each playing 15 snaps. Payton expects the starters to play longer against the San Francisco 49ers this Saturday, meaning both players will have another opportunity to prove themselves.
“I’m sure they are expecting big things from (Sterns), so am I,” Jackson said. “For me, it’s about coming out and showing I can still play at a high level. This is my 14th training camp (and) I’m not out here because of the pay day. I love the game.”
Jackson said the competition will not stop him from providing insight to the rest of the safeties, including Sterns. He added that Sterns is his teammate, and he will never turn his back on him, but both players still have a job to do.
For Sterns, competition is the nature of the beast. He echoed Jackson’s comments that there’s no animosity between them and even supplied some gentle ribbing earlier in camp. He called Jackson a big brother but jokingly backtracked and said “uncle” might be the more suitable term. “He’s older,” Sterns joked.
Sterns played with the idea of him, Simmons and Jackson sharing the field but said Joseph would ultimately have to make that decision.
“The (safeties) room that we have is crazy,” Sterns said. “We all want to see each other do well.”
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