Coming off of a loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, the Washington Commanders are looking for a bit of a spark. However, they'll have to wait a little longer to see one of their newest signees take the field.
The Commanders have placed defensive end Drake Jackson on injured reserve, via Adam Schefter of ESPN. Washington had been planning to make this move when they signed Jackson on October 14. The defensive end's injuries still persist. But the Commanders still believe he has talent worth waiting for.
Jackson was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. During the 2023 season, he suffered a major knee injury that required patellar tendon surgery. Jackson was held out of the entire 2024 campaign and has yet to make his debut in 2025.
But before going down with injury, Jackson put up 21 tackles, nine quarterback hits and six sacks over his 23 games with the 49ers. In Week 1 of the 2023 season, Jackson came away with three sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With such a long layoff from the field. The Commanders won't know exactly what they're getting. Still, Jackson is only 24-years-old. If Washington was willing to sign him and then put him on IR, they must believe the pass rusher will eventually be able to contribute.
Washington needs some sort of jolt defensively. After the Bears matchup, the Commanders rank 26th in total defense, allowing 369.4 yards per game. While only five teams have recorded more than their 18 sacks, the Commanders will want some more firepower if they hope to make a deep playoff run.
Jackson won't be able to do it alone, especially coming off of injury. But if he can produce once fully healthy, then the Commanders' gamble will have paid off.
