Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions are reportedly dipping back into the UFL pool for another running back. Per NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Lions are signing Deon Jackson, formerly of the D.C. Defenders.
In this past UFL season, Jackson rushed for 441 yards on 83 carries (5.0 YPC) and four touchdowns over 10 games. He also caught seven passes for 39 yards and returned three kickoffs for 43 yards. Jackson finished the season third in the UFL in rushing yards, just behind St. Louis Battlehawks running back Jacob Saylors, whom the Lions signed two weeks ago.
Jackson played his college ball at Duke, where he rushed for 2,267 over four seasons—three as the primary back. He went undrafted in 2021 and spent his first three 2.5 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, helping back up star back Jonathan Taylor. With the Colts, Jackson appeared in 27 games—starting three—and finished with 281 rushing yards on 94 carries (3.0 YPC). Over that time, he also logged 238 special teams snaps.
His addition is a bit interesting. The Lions are likely set with their top four running backs on the roster, with Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds, and Sione Vaki all likely for the 53-man roster. That said, Vaki has been battling a hamstring injury this training camp and has yet to play this preseason, while Reynolds got his bell run Friday night before returning to the game.
Of course, the Lions may simply want more running back depth so that they don’t have to keep trotting out Reynolds in the preseason games. If Jackson can acclimate quick enough, he’ll contend with Saylors and Jabari Small for some playing time in Detroit’s next preseason game on Saturday against the Miami Dolphins. And if he performs well, a spot on the practice squad is not out of the question.
As of now, the corresponding move to fit Jackson on the roster is unknown.
