Getty Tyree Jackson throws a pass in a Buffalo Bills preseason game.
A former Buffalo Bills quarterback who changed positions is on to his next stop in the NFL.
The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the New York Giants added Tyree Jackson to their practice squad. Jackson came into the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent from the University of Buffalo, joining the Bills and competing for a spot as a backup quarterback before converting to tight end. He was ultimately released without ever making the 53-man roster.
After a stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Jackson now joins a number of other former Bills players on the Giants practice squad.
Tyree Jackson’s NFL Journey
Jackson’s career with the Bills did not last long, as he played through the 2019 preseason but was released at final roster cutdowns that year. Jackson then moved to the XFL, playing for the D.C. Defenders before the league folded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jackson returned to the NFL and signed with the Eagles in 2021. The Eagles converted the 6-foot-7 Jackson to tight end, and he appeared in 14 games over the course of the last two seasons. Jackson appeared to have a future in Philadelphia, with the Eagles announcing on April 24 that he signed his exclusive-rights tender to return to the team.
New York Giants are signing TE Tyree Jackson to the practice squad, per
@TomPelissero
Jackson is 6’7 and runs a under 4.6 40 yard dash 👀
Still, some insiders believed that Jackson would face a difficult time making the Eagles roster again in the coming season. Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia predicted that the Eagles would move on from the tight end after his role had diminished over the course of the last season.
“Former Buffalo quarterback is a fun story – longshot trying to make the team after a position switch – but after two years he doesn’t have much to show for his efforts, other than a touchdown catch from Gardner Minshew on the last day of the 2021 season and a bunch of injuries,” Frank wrote. “His offensive snaps were down from 171 last year to 34 this year and this seems like an experiment that’s probably run its course.”
Jackson appeared in five games last season before he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, leaving him unable to participate in the team’s run to the Super Bowl.
Familiar Faces in the Meadowlands
Since naming former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their head coach and assistant general manager Joe Schoen as their general manager, the Giants have brought on a number of former Bills players. Jackson joins former Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley on the practice squad in New York.
As SI.com’s Patricia Traina noted, the Giants also added veteran running back and special teams ace Taiwan Jones following his stint with the Bills.
“Jones, 35 years old, is a former fourth-round pick by the Raiders in the 2011 draft who spent the 2017-2018 and 2020-2022 seasons with Buffalo,” Traina wrote. “He’s played in 137 career games (no starts) and has 223 rushing yards on 53 carries.”
The Giants and Bills connected again just before the roster deadline, with the Bills sending edge rusher Boogie Basham to New York for a late-round pick swap in the 2025 NFL Draft.