Former Defenders QB Tyree Jackson Scores First NFL TD

On Saturday, former DC Defenders quarterback Tyree Jackson found an NFL endzone for the first time, doing so at a different position. Jackson is now a tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles, and was filling in for Dallas Goedert during the team’s regular season finale. 

Jackson has quite an interesting story. He played college football at Buffalo, emerging as a dual-threat signal-caller through three seasons. He finished his career at the school with just under 7,000 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 757 rushing yards, and 16 rushing touchdowns. 

In 2019, Jackson was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent, keeping him in New York. Jackson saw some playing time in the preseason, most notably leading a 17-point comeback against the Minnesota Vikings. Jackson finished that game with 253 total yards and 2 touchdowns. However, it wasn’t enough to make the final roster. 

A few months after being cut, Jackson was drafted into the XFL. He was a backup in Washington behind Cardale Jones, but did see occasional playing time. He finished the shortened 2020 season with 74 total yards and a touchdown. 

At the beginning of 2021, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Jackson to a reserve/futures contract. Due to his size (6’7, 240lbs), the team moved Jackson to tight end, which seemed to be the right decision. He went on to have a great training camp, which was unfortunately cut short due to a fracture in his back. 

Jackson returned to full health in November, and finally made his NFL debut. After limited snaps on both offense and special teams, he worked his way up to a starting role in December (at least for one game). Now, in January, Jackson has shown even more progress. Although Philadelphia lost to Dallas 51-26, he was able to catch 3 passes for 22 yards and the aforementioned score. 

It’s worth noting that Jackson was ruled out later in the game with a knee injury. At the time this article is being written (1/8/22), initial reports deny that the ACL was involved, but Jackson will undergo an MRI to determine the severity. Even if he’s unavailable for the playoffs, Jackson now has a better chance of staying on the roster in 2022.