Philadelphia Eagles: How did Malik Jackson fare in Cleveland?

2021 was not a good time to be a Philadelphia Eagles player with the last name Jackson.

Malik Jackson? Released. DeSean Jackson? Released. Tyree Jackson? IR. Twice.

Really the only Jackson to make it out of the season unscathed was Tarron, the Eagles’ sixth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina who played 253 snaps and finished out the season with a sack, a forced fumble, and 18 tackles for his trouble.

So what happened to the Jacksons who didn’t get to make it to the party for the Philadelphia Eagles? While we all know how things turned out for DeSean, how he asked for his release from the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams to play for the Las Vegas Raiders, and how that probably wasn’t the best decision, but what happened to Malik, the once-hyped up defensive tackle who was unceremoniously released past March? Let’s find out.

Malik Jackson’s first season away from the Philadelphia Eagles was underwhelming.

Heading into the 2021 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns’ defensive line was projected to be pretty, pretty, pretty good.

The team retained Myles Garrett, arguably the best defensive end in the league, signed Jadeveon Clowney and Takk McKinley in free agency, and even coaxed Seattle Seahawks draftee Malik McDowell out of retirement to play his first football as a pro. Add Malik Jackson to that group, especially on a one-year deal worth $3.75 million, and Cleveland’s front four looked formidable, to say the least.

Did that potential translate to practice? For the most part, yeah, the Browns ranked ninth in total sacks at 43 and had the 12th ranked rushing defense in yards allowed per game, but much of that had to do with Garrett’s dominance than the rest of the unit’s cohesiveness. Jackson specifically finished out the season with only 25 tackles, seven QB hits, and .5 sacks, but did play 647 total snaps over his 16 games with 16 starts and proved to be an adequate replacement for Larry Ogunjobi, who jumped from one Ohio-based football team to another in free agency.

Is that great production from a player making $10 million a year, as Jackson would have in Philadelphia? Eh, not particularly, but for $3.75 million on a one-year deal? Yeah, that’s not too shabby at all. With the majority of the Browns’ rush coming off of the edge, Jackson played a pivotal role in taking on would-be rushers on the inside while freeing up single-team opportunities for Clowney and Garrett on the outside.

If a better option comes along, could I see the Browns allowing Jackson to test the market? Sure, but it’s hard to see a world where both Jackson and McDowell are replaced by either draftees or free agents, as neither should be in particularly high demand, and both are solid enough options in that $4 million range.

Would the Philadelphia Eagles have been better off keeping Mailk Jackson in 2021? No. I don’t think so; Javon Hargrave more than lived up to his cap hit and effectively played the role many expected from Jackson when he initially jumped ship from Jacksonville to the City of Brotherly Love in 2019. But hey, while his stats weren’t particularly impressive and some advanced metrics list him relatively low league-wide (I’m looking at you, PFF) when a franchise turns in a fantastic showing with two dynamic rushers on the outside, there are much worse options than employing a calming, veteran presence on the interior.