Getty Former Indianapolis Colts running back Deon Jackson reacting in the middle of an NFL game.
The New York Jets have added another running back to the rotation ahead of its preseason opener against the Washington Commanders.
NFL Insider Aaron Wilson shared on social media that the green and white have signed veteran tailback Deon Jackson.
New York hadn’t replaced the spot in the running back room vacated by Tarik Cohen who announced his retirement from the NFL.
Jets Bring in a Camp Body to Get Through Training Camp and the Preseason
Over the weekend the Jets hosted multiple running backs for a workout. That list included Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Hassan Hall, Eno Benjamin, Deon Jackson, and Anthony McFarland, per Wilson.
The addition of Jackson makes him the No. 6 running back on the roster. He joins Breece Hall, Isaiah Davis, Braelon Allen, Israel Abanikanda, and Xazavian Valladay.
Jackson at just 25 years of age is already among the veterans of the group.
Hall, Davis, Allen, and Abanikanda are all 23 years of age or younger. Jackson and Valladay (26 years old) are the old men in the room.
Jackson, the former Duke product, originally joined the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2021. He spent his first two seasons and change with the Indianapolis Colts. Most recently he spent time on both the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants roster in 2023.
During that stretch, Jackson has toted the rock 95 times for 283 rushing yards and has scored three total touchdowns. In addition to his rushing prowess, Jackson has caught 35 receptions for 223 receiving yards.
Cohen Catches the Jets off Guard, Hangs up His Cleats
Until proven otherwise, Jackson is nothing more than a camp body to eat up reps over the next couple of weeks.
Jackson hasn’t contributed on special teams since entering the NFL back in 2021. He appeared in 33% of the special teams snaps through his first two seasons. Last year he was only involved in 17 snaps on special teams.
A veteran running back buried on the depth chart with no history on special teams doesn’t bode well for his chances to crack the 53-man roster.
However, the Jets had to scramble after Cohen announced his abrupt retirement from the sport.
Head coach Robert Saleh admitted to the media that he was “a little bit” surprised by Cohen’s retirement because he thought he was having a good camp.
#Jets HC Robert Saleh admitted that he was ‘a little bit’ surprised that Tarik Cohen abruptly retired because he was having a good camp but he wouldn’t get into the details of why Cohen decided to walk away. Said he’ll leave that to Cohen.
Saleh had said previously that Cohen had seemingly gotten his “juice” back. Cohen hadn’t appeared in an NFL game since the year 2020. The veteran running back had dealt with an array of serious injuries that derailed his career.
Days before announcing his retirement, Cohen appeared to be in great spirits and ultra-motivated to complete his comeback to the NFL.
After the retirement news spread on social media, Cohen shared a GIF from “The Office” on X previously Twitter to say goodbye.
However, he was a bit blunter on Instagram a few days later sharing a short video clip of a child on a swing set with the caption, “F*** football.”
Instead of going through the grind of football, Cohen chose to spend more time with his family.
Comments