Released by the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters knows Drake Jackson well.
The Washington Commanders have a second-round pick from a previous NFL Draft in town for their rookie minicamp as a tryout invite in defensive lineman Ross Blacklock.
There’s another second-round pick, this time from the 2022 NFL Draft, who could find himself headed to the Commanders after being released by the team that drafted him just four years ago.
With ties to Washington general manager Adam Peters, now former 49ers defensive lineman Drake Jackson would be a reasonable addition if the executive believes he’d be a good fit for his current roster.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Drake Jackson. / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
“49ers are waiving former second-round pick Drake Jackson with a failed physical designation,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday afternoon. “Jackson is still rehabbing a knee injury but is expected to be cleared by the start of training camp.”
It wouldn’t be the first time the Commanders brought in a player mending from injury that the team was familiar with.
In 2024, receiver Noah Brown was released by the Houston Texans due largely to lingering injury issues. Brown, who had played with the Dallas Cowboys while Washington head coach Dan Quinn was on that staff was brought in and became a key contributor for much of the season.
Jackson responded to his release with a social media post that read, “Yall crazy if yall don’t think I’m wreckin havoc on that field this year!”
Since arriving to the NFL out of USC in 2022 Jackson has appeared in 23 games and has recorded six sacks while playing less than 40 percent of the defensive snaps in each of his first two seasons.
He injured the knee he is currently rehabbing in 2023 and was placed on injured reserve in mid-November. Eventually, Jackson missed the entire 2024 season, ultimately leading to his release this week.
The Commanders didn’t make a significant splash on their defensive edge in free agency or in the NFL Draft, despite public demands they do so.
However, the team did bring in free agents like Deatrich Wise Jr. and Jacob Martin who will compete for reps on the edge. Jackson has expeirence as an end and outside linebacker from his time with the 49ers, and if he is truly on track to be ready for training camp, could be a name the Commanders consider if they choose to add to the group.