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Washington Commanders edge rusher Drake Jackson.
The Washington Commanders didn’t waste any time replacing veteran safety and former first round pick Darnell Savage on the roster after he asked for and received his release.
The Commanders moved quickly to elevate 6-foot-4, 273-pound edge rusher Drake Jackson from the reserved injured list in hopes he might play his first game with Washington since signing with them in October.
“We have made the following roster moves: Activated DE Drake Jackson from the Reserve/Injured List, Released S Darnell Savage,” the Commanders wrote on their official X account on Thursday, December 4.
From Pac-12 Star to Second Round Draft Pick
Jackson was a 3-time All-Pac 12 pick at USC from 2019 to 2021 before the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft (No. 61 overall).
Jackson played in 23 games with no starts and had 6.0 sacks before he was injured in Week 9 of the 2023 season. He underwent surgery on his patellar tendon that not only cost him the final 9 games of that year, but all of the 2024 season as well.
The 49ers released Jackson in May and he signed with the Commanders on October 15. He hasn’t played in an NFL game since October 29, 2023.
The Commanders are 3-9 overall and have lost 7 consecutive games headed into a Week 14 road game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Anything Goes at Edge Rusher for Commanders
If we’re talking about position groups about to receive a complete overhaul in the offseason, we can start with the edge rushers, where it’s been a wasteland for the Commanders in 2025.
That’s through no one’s fault except for the Commanders, who over leveraged themselves on the interior defensive line with $144 million in contracts for non-factor veterans Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw and also wasted a second round pick in 2024 on defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton.
That doesn’t leave a lot of room to pay or make room for productive edge rushers, where the only available band-aid after an offseason of failed trade attempts ended up being to sign washed up former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to a 1-year, $6.1 million contract on July 17.
The Commanders are 20th in the NFL with 26 sacks and 31st in total defense — not what you really want out of a team with a head coach who made his name as a defensive coordinator with Dan Quinn.
Dorance Armstrong, who hasn’t played since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys, still leads the Commanders with 5.5 sacks.
Commanders Could End Up With Top 5 Pick
There is a distinct possibility the Commanders could be one of the NFL’s most well set up teams in the offseason with a healthy Jayden Daniels and healthy Terry McLaurin back in 2026 as well as possibly having a Top 5 pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
“Washington is going to have a top 5 draft pick AND prob $90M in cap space to use in free agency,” Hogs Haven’s Mark Tyler wrote on his official X account after a Week 11 loss to the Miami Dolphins. “This CAN be fixed, but it has to be done right!”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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