HEADLINES

Rob Jackson

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Giants, Redskins

October 20th, 2014 at 7:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFC East looks to be a competitive division, at least near the top, where the Cowboys and Eagles have a combined record of 11-2. Let’s take a look at some injury updates from Philadelphia, New York, and Washington:

  • Making his weekly appearance on CSNPhilly, Eagles guard Evan Mathis said he has been cleared to resume practicing (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN). Mathis, who sprained his MCL in Week 1, is on injured reserve/designated to return and isn’t eligible to return to game action until Week 10.
  • Mathis also told CSNPhilly that center Jason Kelce, who has been sidelined since Week 3, is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery from a sports hernia, and could play for the Eagles again as soon as Week 9 (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
  • Though Giants linebacker Jon Beason is expected to travel to North Carolina to meet with an ankle specialist, New York has no intention of shutting down the veteran as of yet, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger.
  • Meanwhile, guard Geoff Schwartz is expected to begin practicing next week, but he likely won’t make his regular season debut for the Giants until Week 9, per Raanan.
  • The Redskins will be without linebacker Brian Orakpo for the rest of the season, leading John Keim of ESPN.com to examine how Washington will aim to replace a key cog in its defense. Rookie Trent Murphy will see more snaps, and a team source tells Keim that the Redskins will consider re-signing Rob Jackson, who played for the team until 2013.

Redskins Release Rob Jackson

August 24th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins have released linebacker Rob Jackson, a source tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). In confirming the report, John Keim of ESPN.com adds (Twitter link) that Washington cut Jackson now so that it would be easier for him to find work elsewhere.

Jackson, 28, joined the Redskins as a seventh-round pick in 2008. His best season came in 2012, when he started 14 games, and finished with four-and-a-half sacks and four interceptions. His contract expired after 2013, and he wasn’t re-signed until April 2014, indicating a lack of interest around the league.

Surprisingly (especially for a reserve linebacker), Jackson doesn’t offer much special teams value, tweets Jones, who notes that fellow backup LB Everette Brown has shown ST prowess. Keim concurs (on Twitter), saying that in addition to playing special teams, Brown spent time with the first-team nickel defense in last night’s preseason game.

NFC East Notes: Coughlin, Henery, Redskins, Minter

August 17th, 2014 at 10:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Giants‘ offense was sloppy in 2013, with Eli Manning struggling with turnovers early in the season. The team was unable to get on track in time to salvage a playoff run, and it ultimately cost offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride his job. The team hired Ben McAdoo to pick up the pieces and turn the offense around, but the team has been unable to do so as of yet. Head coach Tom Coughlin is unhappy with the progress being made on that side of the ball, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

“It’s obvious, I think we got to work on a lot of things,’’ Coughlin said. “We got to basically work on everything. Last night we didn’t run it, we certainly didn’t throw the ball with any consistency, we don’t have people that are definitely running open, our protection does break down from time to time and we don’t react well under pressure when we do realize there has to be a hot or a sight adjust involved and just getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hand and trying to accomplish a positive play in the face of the pressure.’’

Here are some other notes from around the NFC East:

  • Eagles‘ kicker Alex Henery seems to be winning the position competition, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Despite his struggles in 2013 and this preseason, he has been the only kicker to see action during the team’s two preseason games. Head coach Chip Kelly also noted that Henery has been very good in practice during pressure situations.
  • The Eagles have a number of preseason storylines that are becoming clearer as the preseason progresses. Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com updates a few storylines, including the ongoing injury situation, the progression of the offense in Kelly’s second season, and some recent roster moves.
  • Final roster cuts are approaching, and the Redskins have a number of players on the bubble of making the team. Rich Tandler and Tarik El Bashir take a look at a few defensive players fighting for the last few spots. They both agree that outside linebacker Rob Jackson and safety Bacarri Rambo will both make the team, while cornerback Richard Crawford will fall short of making the team.
  • Cowboys‘ defensive tackle Zach Minter made an impression in his first preseason game, writes Brandon George of DallasNews.com. Playing against the Ravens on Saturday after being signed on Thursday, Minter had four tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. That performance could help to earn him a spot on a defense that is in need of talent.

Redskins Notes: Mesko, Jackson, Latimer

April 8th, 2014 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins signed Blake Clingan to a contract earlier today, giving the team a pair of punters on the roster — Clingan joins Robert Malone, who was signed following the end of the regular season. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), former Patriots punter Zoltan Mesko auditioned for Washington as well, but unless the club plans on a three-way competition in camp, it looks like Mesko’s workout with the Redskins won’t result in a contract.

Let’s round up a few more items out of Washington….

  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden suggested that when someone like DeSean Jackson becomes available, the team wants to do “whatever it takes” to land that player.
  • Asked in the same interview whether the club is done signing free agents, Gruden indicated the Redskins are focused primarily on the draft unless someone else piques their interest in free agency.
  • The Redskins are scheduling a pre-draft visit with Indiana wide receiver Cody Latimer, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). According to Wilson (via Twitter), Latimer will hold a private workout day later this month, and at least 17 NFL teams have expressed interest in attending.
  • Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that Rob Jackson‘s new one-year contract with Washington is a minimum salary benefit deal that includes a $65K signing bonus.

Redskins Re-Sign Rob Jackson

April 4th, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins have re-signed free agent linebacker Rob Jackson, the team announced today (Twitter link). Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link) first broke word of the new deal between the two sides.

Jackson, who started 14 games for the Redskins in 2012, returned to a reserve role last season, and will likely play a similar part for the team in 2014. The 28-year-old had 19 tackles, a pair of sacks, and an interception in 2013, and contributed a handful of special teams tackles as well.

Prior to agreeing to return to Washington, Jackson reportedly visited with the Raiders earlier in free agency.

Visit Updates: Manningham, Britt, Bridgewater

March 16th, 2014 at 4:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Several notes on player visits:

  • Receiver Mario Manningham will meet the Giants on Monday, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. Manningham played for the Giants from 2008-2011 before signing with the 49ers.
  • Receiver Kenny Britt will meet with the Redskins after he visits the Patriots, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. We noted earlier today that Washington was attempting to schedule a visit with the free agent.
  • Linebacker Will Herring visited the Cowboys on Saturday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. A previous deal between the two parties fell through.
  • The Chiefs met with offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).
  • Caplan also tweets that fullback Erik Lorig met the Saints, who do not have a fullback on the roster after non-tendering Jed Collins.
  • Linebacker Rob Jackson will meet with the Raiders, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
  • Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater met with the Vikings staff, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.