Justin Jackson did not lack for suitors when he became a free agent in March, but while a handful of NFL teams were interested in signing him as a backup running back/kick returner/jack-of-all-trades insurance policy, most were offering veteran-minimum type deals.
Jackson averaged 4 yards per carry as the Detroit Lions’ No. 3 running back and caught 12 passes in 187 offensive snaps last season. He ranked sixth in the NFL in kick return average. And while no one would confuse him for Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs, he spent most of the offseason in limbo, like his more famous running back counterparts, a victim of the league’s evolving views on what once was its premier position.