San Francisco 49ers defensive end Drake Jackson has been dealing with serious injuries for the past two seasons.
Jackson has been out of the lineup in San Francisco since Week 8 of the 2023 season after suffering a patellar tendon in his knee … and it sounds like it’s not getting any better.
“Anytime you do that type of surgery that he had, I think [former 49ers OL Mike] McGlinchey had a similar one, those are big surgeries,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said about Jackson’s surgery back in August 2024. “They’re tough to come back from and you never know how they’re gonna react. We always know it’s a possibility to take a long time and it’s taking a long time.”
General manager John Lynch recently discussed Jackson’s injury and recovery timeline.
“That’s been a tough injury,” Lynch said. “We found that out with Mike McGlinchey. Those quad tendon repairs — you’ve got to really think long and hard before you have that because it doesn’t just make it go away. I think if you ask McGlinchey, to this day he probably plays through some pain.
“Drake hasn’t had setbacks, but he has had trouble coming back from it. It’s not been the most encouraging thing. Hopefully, it takes a turn for the positive because we’ve seen Drake when he’s healthy. He can be a real effective player for us. So we’re crossing our fingers and putting in all the work as is Drake.”
Jackson was the 49ers’ second-round pick in 2023 and he appeared in just 23 games, recording six tackles with no starts.