Jordan Jackson beats the odds going from Air Force to Broncos defensive line

Chris Tomasson
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
(TNS)

Jordan Jackson still goes to bed early and gets up at 6 a.m. each day, just like he did when he was at the Air Force Academy.

But plenty has changed since then.

In fact, plenty has changed in the past year alone for Jackson.

The defensive lineman spent 2022 on the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad after being a sixth-round pick that year in the NFL draft. He then spent 2023 on the Broncos’ practice squad.

But Jackson took a big leap this year. He not only made Denver’s 53-man roster but has become a rotation player on the line.

“His story is a great one relative to making this team,’’ said Broncos coach Sean Payton. “He did it during training camp. When we talk about, ‘We’re keeping the best players regardless how they’ve gotten here,’ he’s a good example of that.”

According to ProFootballReference.com, Jordan is one of just 13 players to have attended college only at Air Force and gotten into a least one NFL regular-season game and one of just nine Air Force players to have been drafted. He is the third former Falcons player to see action for the Broncos, following linebacker Steve Russ, who got into 24 games from 2017-20 and is now an Air Force assistant, and defensive lineman Ben Garland, who played eight games in 2014.

So is Jordan an inspiration?

“I think it definitely is unique when you have guys from the military academies just to see the journey they went through to get here,’’ he said. “I think I am (an inspiration) to some people but everybody has their own journey. I think everybody can be an inspiration in their own way at this level.”

Jordan does have some Falcons company in the NFL this season in safety Trey Taylor and linebacker Bo Richter, both rookies. Taylor, a seventh-round pick who has gotten into two games for Las Vegas after starting the season on injured reserve, has played only on special teams. Richter, signed as an undrafted free agent by Minnesota, did get in for 13 defensive plays in one game but has seen only special teams action in the three others he has played.

Jordan has played more than 30% of Denver’s defensive snaps. That included getting in for 42 of 66 snaps in Week 2 against Pittsburgh.

“We’re lucky to have him,’’ said Broncos defensive end Zach Allen. “He’s really a consistent player when he goes in. He’s going to get the job done the right way. He’s got some really good wiggle to him. He’s really made some good strides with his pass rushing.”

Jackson has made plenty of strides overall since he signed a futures contract with the Broncos in January 2023 and then spent last season on the practice squad. And when it came time for final roster cuts in August, the Broncos made room on the 53-man roster for him. To do that, moves they made included releasing veteran lineman Angelo Blackson and waiving Matt Henningsen, a Denver rotation player the past two seasons, before signing him to the practice squad.

“It’s crazy what a year can do improvement-wise,’’ said cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian, who can identify with Jackson’s journey due to having spent his rookie season of 2022 on the Broncos’ practice squad. “I’m very happy for him and praying he can continue to grow in the game.”

The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Jackson was determined to take a big step this season.

“It’s just all the work I’ve put in,’’ he said. “I’ve got a little bit better understanding of different blocking and how the offensive line is attempting to block me and and how to beat it, and being able to play the run a little better. I’m still learning and trying to grow every day.”

Playing at Air Force from 2017-21, Jackson was second-team All-Mountain West as a senior and had 15.5 sacks in 49 career games. He was able to immediately enter the NFL in 2022 and delay his required five-year military commitment before rules were changed.

Now, athletes who enrolled after 2019 at military academies must serve two years of the five-year commitment before they can enter the pro ranks in any sport.

“It was definitely a blessing to come out when I was able to,’’ Jackson said. “It’s tough (now) because that’s your dream to get to the league, but if you have to push it off a couple more years and that’s your dream, you got to keep chasing it. It’s another bump in the road, in the journey.”

Jackson, 26, hopes to have a long NFL career and not be concerned for a good while about what he will do during his five-year Air Force commitment. He graduated from the Academy with a civil engineering degree.

“The Air Force has so many opportunities and great jobs to do,” Jackson said. “Whatever the time is to get back in, I’ll look at the jobs almost like a job fair. Civil engineering was my focus in school and there’s a lot of different stuff like that as far as infrastructure with roads and airways and different stuff.”

Jackson knows quite well about one road. That’s the one he has taken to make the NFL despite odds being against him.

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