Broncos edge Jordan Jackson’s path back to the 53-man roster

Jordan Jackson has been a recurring name in Denver’s offseason roster questions, and the latest one centers on whether the defensive lineman can make the final 53-man roster after years of moving through the league’s depth-cycle. Yahoo Sports framed the challenge in a simple way: Jackson’s experience is real, but the margin for fringe contributors can be razor-thin once training camp ends and the cutdown deadline arrives.

Jackson’s pro path began in 2022, when the New Orleans Saints selected him in the sixth round. He played college football at the Air Force Academy, a background that matters in how teams evaluate work ethic and discipline, particularly for defensive linemen trying to develop consistent leverage and gap control against NFL interiors and edges. After the draft, he joined the practice structure that many late-round selections face, then continued his development into his second year.

In early 2023, the Broncos signed Jackson to a reserves/future contract, an offseason move that indicates a team’s interest in keeping a player in its developmental orbit beyond the initial training camp window. Yahoo Sports reported that he did not make the team during training camp at that time, but the Denver route did not end there. He was later signed to the practice squad in 2023, which kept him in the building and available for activation as needed.

The next step was on-field production. According to Yahoo Sports, Jackson played in 17 games for the Broncos in 2024 and then appeared in five games in 2025. Those appearances are important because they suggest he has carried a usable skill set across an entire NFL season, not just the preseason evaluation cycle. Even if his snaps are not defined by a consistent starting role, rotational opportunities are the kind of proof teams look for when deciding whether a player earns another offseason invitation.

The profile of Jackson’s usage also points to the role teams may expect him to compete for. Yahoo Sports cited his career workload as 395 defensive snaps, with 2024 representing the highest point of his career usage. Production, in this context, means functional contributions such as stopping the run on specific downs, disrupting plays in the pocket, and staying assignment-reliable enough to be trusted when games tilt late.

Statistically, Yahoo Sports credited Jackson with 24 combined tackles (seven solo), plus one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble, and one sack through his career. Those totals do not read like a star profile, but they do describe a player who has been able to impact discrete plays. For a defensive line competition, that matters because coaches often sort players by who can be trusted to execute their assignment at game speed, not only by who can flash in pads.

For Denver, the roster question is about fit as much as it is about merit. Jackson is listed at 6-4 and 294 pounds and is described as a defensive end/tackle, which is a flexible bucket that can be valuable when an NFL roster is built around multi-skill options. The watch now is whether his track record of game appearances and situational production is enough to outperform other contenders for similar snaps, particularly in camp, where teams weigh consistency, special-teams value, and scheme-specific readiness.

What to watch next is less about a single preseason moment and more about role definition: whether Jackson separates as a depth option who can be activated without hesitation, or whether the Broncos’ offseason competition pushes him back to the practice-squad or reserves cycle again. If the club sees him as an emerging rotational piece, the odds improve. If not, his history suggests he will have to keep earning opportunities one camp at a time.