Drake Jackson‘s Commanders debut will not come any time soon. The recently-signed defensive end was placed on injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. 
As a result of the move, Jackson will be sidelined for at the least the next four games. Today’s decision does not come as a surprise, however. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, the Commanders always planned on moving Jackson to IR upon signing him. Per NFL rules, those two transactions cannot take place on the same day.
With Jackson being added earlier this week, a brief delay was required before this IR placement. Now that it has taken place, the 24-year-old will be able to continue recovering from his torn patellar tendon. That injury limited Jackson to eight games in 2023 and he missed all of last season while continuing his rehab.
The former second-rounder posted three sacks as a rookie with the 49ers and duplicated that total in eight games in 2023. San Francisco moved on in May, leaving Jackson on the open market for several months. A number of visits were lined up, and the USC product ultimately chose to sign with Washington. That move allowed for a reunion between Jackson and Commanders general manager Adam Peters, who worked in the 49ers’ front office when he was drafted.
Jackson’s pact is no doubt a one-year deal at or near the league minimum given his missed time. His market value this spring will thus be determined by his performance when healthy as he takes on a depth pass-rushing role for the Commanders. Given the fact Jackson will make his season debut no early than Week 11, however, he will only have a small window of opportunity to carve out a notable workload and make an impact on his new team.