The Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks made a trade on Thursday.
The Panthers sent rookie linebacker Michael Barrett to the Seahawks in exchange for cornerback Michael Jackson.
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Jackson, 27, was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He never appeared in a game for the Cowboys, though, as he was signed by the Detroit Lions off the Cowboys’ practice squad during the season.
Jackson appeared in one game with the Lions in 2019, and then one game with the New England Patriots in 2020. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021, where he’d find a more permanent home and spend the next three seasons.
Jackson appeared in just two games in 2021 before breaking out and becoming a full-time starter in 2022. That season, he started all 17 games for Seattle, securing 75 tackles, 12 passes defended, and one interception. Jackson appeared in all 17 games for Seattle in 2023, but started only four of them, finishing the season with 34 tackles and five passes defended.
Jackson is now heading over to a Carolina team that has a major need at cornerback. Starting cornerback Dane Jackson is dealing with a significant hamstring injury that should keep him out for the beginning of the season. Moreover, cornerback Lamar Jackson suffered a knee injury and was waived with an injury designation.
Michael Jackson should get plenty of opportunities to compete for reps in the Carolina secondary.
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As for the Seahawks, they’re taking a chance on Barrett, a seventh-round pick by the Panthers this year. Barrett spent the last six years at the University of Michigan, where he accumulated 115 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks. Last year, in 15 games, he had 39 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks.
This was one of three trades that have occurred on Thursday thus far. The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders agreed on a rare in-division trade, sending wide receiver Jahan Dotson and a fifth-round pick to the Eagles for a third-round pick and multiple seventh-round picks.
Read more: Eagles Land Former First-Round Pick Wide Receiver in Trade With Commanders
Additionally, the Cleveland Browns traded kick Cade York to the Commanders for a conditional seventh-round pick.
As NFL teams begin the process of finalizing their 53-man roster and building their practice squads ahead of the start of the regular season, expect more trades to trickle in. Tuesday, Aug. 27 is the official cut-down day.
