Justin Jackson

Though he averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 68 totes while adding 22 receptions for 178 yards in 14 games during his final season with the Chargers in 2021, Jackson remained on the open market until shortly after the start of training camp before finally catching on with the Lions. Though the 2018 seventh-rounder's strong past production makes him an interesting depth option in his new locale, Jackson wasn't guaranteed to have a path to a rotational role in Detroit with D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams in the backfield. Indeed, Jackson was a casualty of roster cuts in late August.

Injuries continue to be the story of Jackson's career, and he's missed 16 of 32 games the last two seasons with quad and knee issues costing him time in 2020. Given his thin 6-0 frame, it's perhaps not surprising that he can't stay in the lineup, but when he's been healthy he's been productive, and more than three-quarters of his scrimmage yards last year came in only three games. Jackson's best traits are his balance through contact and plus elusiveness, which make him hard to bring down and allow him to deliver both big plays and consistent yardage, leading to a career 4.9 YPC. He's also a solid pass catcher, though in a backfield with Austin Ekeler he hasn't had to use those skills much.

Melvin Gordon's holdout last season gave Jackson a bit of sleeper appeal, but when Austin Ekeler proved capable of shouldering the load as the lead back and then Jackson had trouble staying healthy, his window to make a splash quickly closed. A seventh-round pick in 2018, the Northwestern product has the elusiveness and balance in traffic to break through to the second level with regularity, and despite his limited workload in the NFL he's been a big-play threat on the ground, gaining at least 20 yards on three of his 29 carries last year. He's worked hard to bring his receiving skills up to average, but his thin frame (6-0, 199) isn't an advantage in pass protection. With Gordon now in Denver, Jackson is penciled in as the No. 2 back, but 2020 fourth-round pick Joshua Kelley offers more size and power and could ultimately prove himself to be a more effective complement to Ekeler in the Chargers backfield.

The 2018 seventh-round selection was forced into action during Week 12 of his rookie campaign thanks to injuries to Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. He ended up recording 190 rushing yards, 116 receiving yards and two touchdowns during a four-game stretch, which also included his lone start. This offseason, the Chargers didn't add any notable options to their running back depth chart, but they do have some turmoil in the form of Gordon's contract holdout. Jackson and Ekeler are getting the first-team snaps at training camp, potentially headed for a committee in September if Gordon can't work things out with the team.

Jackson was a wrecking ball during his four-year collegiate career with Northwestern, eventually finishing as the university's all-time leading rusher with 5,440 yards. That production was thanks in part to an uncharacteristically high workload, but the added wear and tear shouldn't mean much in the immediate future given he figures to merely be a rotational option for Melvin Gordon. Not necessarily known as a receiving threat, Jackson will likely cede snaps to last year's standout rookie running back, Austin Ekeler, but should Gordon suffer an injury, it wouldn't be a surprise for Jackson to see the majority of the carries.