Carter's Classroom: Check the mileage on D'Qwell Jackson

After a week of studying inside linebackers with the possibility of adding Rey Maualuga and revisiting the stellar film on Levon Kirkland in his days with the Steelers, we finish with a look at the most experienced inside linebacker left in free agency, D'Qwell Jackson.



Jackson is a 33-year old NFL veteran with 10 years of experience in the league. He played his first seven years with the Browns and the last three with the Colts, earning a Pro Bowl appearance in 2014.

Jackson is known for being a disciplined "buck" style of inside linebacker who plays well against the run and has the flexibility to not be a liability in the passing game. He shows an attention to detail in his assignments that most inside linebackers who are left in free agency at this point do not.

He also has proven to be one of the most durable players in the league as he has not missed a game due to injury since 2009. The only games he hasn't started were the last four games of the 2016 season due to a suspension from his violation of the NFL's PED policy.

Jackson is only a year older than what DeAngelo Williams was when he signed with the Steelers, which begs the question as to whether he would be worth an investment for a one- or two-year contract to add to the team's depth at inside linebacker after the departure of Lawrence Timmons.

We dip into the film room to see what Jackson was doing for the Colts last season before his suspension:

GAP PLAY

Jackson has made a career out of being physical and attentive to his assignments within the interior of the defenses he's been part of over the years. While he won't be one to make spectacular plays regularly, he does know how to engage and disengage with offensive linemen while playing his gap assignment.

Watch how he deals with B.J. Finney at the point of attack; Jackson approaches the line and keeps his eyes on the gap he's working and then uses his hands to keep Finney from ever controlling him so he can make a play on the running back:



Everything Jackson does with this play is textbook as he keeps a wide base, uses his hands to get inside on Finney and shove him off, then hits and wraps Fitzgerald Toussaint.

This type of discipline is useful, but Jackson's age and recent suspension are warning signs that may be scaring teams away from signing him after he was cut by the Colts.

WORKS THROUGH TRAFFIC

Jackson is also a player who doesn't give up on plays and looks to finish even when he loses the initial battle against a blocker.

Watch how he is engaged by David Johnson and kept from advancing, but he maintains his balance, keeps his head up to look for the play and eventually makes the tackle on Bell:



Jackson is at his best when he can be physical at the point of attack and work to maintain a specific gap assignment. He also has the wherewithal to understand the entirety of defensive schemes so that he can help when he notices other players on his team struggling with their assignments.

Veteran leadership is what landed Jackson his job with the Colts, and it could be the biggest asset the Steelers could use in 2017 should they add him to the depth chart.

COVERAGE

Where Jackson will struggle is when he's forced to cover large spaces against the pass. He's used to playing zone coverage in the middle of the field, but when he doesn't have a tight end or a running back to cover, quarterbacks with time can pick at his zones when wide receivers are running in his area.

Watch how Marcus Mariota waits for Jackson to have to try to run with a receiver over the middle as he completes this big pass play:



That's not to say that this is something that Jackson is especially worse at than other candidates at inside linebacker. Only the most athletic and developed linebackers are able to take matchups like this and minimize the opportunities of receivers over the middle.

Where Jackson still shows potential against the pass is when he can match up with the tight ends and running backs over the middle so that he can run with them and not have to worry about top-end speed mixed with elite route running skills.

Watch how he drops back and comes down to cover Delanie Walker:



Jackson's backpedal gets him deep enough to see what's in front of him and he shows excellent footwork to change directions to come down and break up the pass to Walker.

This is where Jackson can fill in effectively against the pass. The Steelers would theoretically be fine with this as Ryan Shazier is one of the better cover linebackers in the league and can run with speedier players in space.

VALUE

The biggest question on Jackson's ability to join the Steelers would be what kind of money he would be willing to accept for a new contract. His contract had him scheduled to take over $5 million in cap space for the Colts had he not been cut.

Being 33 years of age, Jackson cannot realistically expect a contract with a great deal of guaranteed money or a lucrative agreement. His best option might be waiting until training camp approaches and those early-season injuries start to pile up around the league.

Every year teams lose starters to injury before the season begins and the loss of any inside linebacker would raise his stock for a team that would be desperate for a player who could be plugged into the system, be physical and learn quickly.

If the Steelers wait that long, there may be more competition to sign Jackson and a cause for his price to rise. While the Steelers do have over $16 million in cap space, they have to be mindful of the players who need contracts soon, including Le'Veon Bell, Alejandro Villanueva, Shazier and Stephon Tuitt. 

But if Jackson is willing to sign a contract that is only worth a couple million dollars in cap space and is only a year-long commitment, that money would go right back into the pool for the team to invest in keeping its younger players.

Whether the Steelers feel they need to make such an investment at inside linebacker is a question that can only be answered with time, but there are undoubtedly options available that could be temporary patches for the team to use until they find their more permanent option next to Shazier.

Unless the team is just that confident that Vince Williams is that permanent option.