Sobering news came from the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday when the 49ers released promising edge rusher/outside linebacker Drake Jackson, who failed a physical. How that relates to the Eagles is Jackson suffered a torn left patellar tendon in Week 8 of the 2023 season, and his rehab has not gone well.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a torn left patellar tendon in the Eagles’ march to the Super Bowl in the Wildcard round of the playoffs in January. Each person is different regarding healing and rehabbing, and Dean professed he would be back better than ever when Eagles on SI caught up with him at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
Still, Jackson’s inability to get healthy more than a year after tearing the tendon is worrisome when it comes to Dean and his recovery.
Jackson is just 24 and 6-4, 273 pounds. He was the 61st overall pick three years ago. In 23 career games before the injury, he had six sacks, including three against the Steelers in the 2023 season opener. At the University of Southern California, he had 12.5 sacks in 28 games.
His future looked bright. Maybe he can still have one and maybe it could be with the Eagles.
General manager Howie Roseman has poached Niners draft picks in the past. San Francisco released running back Tyrion Davis-Price and receiver Danny Gray last year. Roseman snatched them both up. Davis-Price spent last year on the Eagles’ practice squad and was just released last week. Gray is still on the roster after spending time on Philly’s PS last season, too.
Both were third-round picks in 2022. The Eagles also claimed running back Trey Sermon when the 49ers released their third-round pick from 2021. Sermon made it into two games for the Eagles in 2022. So, there is precedence when it comes to the San Fran to Philly pipeline.
Also, the Eagles have taken chances on reclamation projects in the past and currently have one they hope could pay dividends this fall in safety and first-round pick of the Vikings in Lewis Cine, who suffered a severe knee injury that led to his release from Minnesota. He made a detour to the Bills’ practice squad before the Eagles claimed him late last year and added him to their 53-man roster.
The Eagles also took a chance on safety Caden Sterns last summer. Like Jackson and Dean, he, too tore a patellar tendon. He was never the same. The Eagles released him after training camp last year, added him to the practice squad, cut him again, then brought him back to the PS until Oct. 10 when he was cut for the final time.
Sterns’ case could be another bad sign for Dean’s recovery.
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