Malik Jackson, a nine-year defensive tackle veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, has signed with the Browns.
Here are five things to know about the newest addition to Cleveland's defensive line.
1. Jackson has carved out a lengthy NFL career as a quality run stopper who has also had success in pass rush. He's accrued 267 tackles and 35 sacks with 25 pass breakups and six forced fumbles since he became a fifth-round draft pick in 2012. Last season in Philadelphia, Jackson totaled 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks as a member of the defensive tackle rotation. Cleveland will be the fourth NFL home for Jackson, who has also spent time in Denver and Jacksonville and will become the second most-experienced player on the Browns behind linebacker Malcolm Smith.
2. He knows what it's like to win a Super Bowl. He started all 16 games in 2015 for the Broncos, champions of Super Bowl 50, and built a strong season that included 45 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a career-high seven pass deflections. He also made one of the defining plays of the Super Bowl win — he recovered a fumble from linebacker Von Miller, who won Super Bowl MVP, and set up the Broncos' first touchdown of the game.
3. Jackson's best season came in 2017 as a member of the Jaguars, who built one of their best seasons in franchise history that season and cracked a playoff berth largely due to their top-ranked defense. Jackson started alongside Pro Bowlers Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue and recorded 40 tackles and a career-high eight sacks.
4. Jackson attended USC in 2008 and 2009 before transferring to Tennessee for his final two collegiate seasons. He recorded five sacks in his first season and notched 2.5 sacks as a senior while totaling 104 combined tackles with the Vols. Jackson was projected as a late-round pick. He is now just one of eight defensive tackles from the draft class still in the NFL.
5. The Browns will add Jackson to an interior defensive line room that includes eight-year veteran Sheldon Richardson, Andrew Billings, who opted out of the 2020 season after signing with the Browns last offseason and 2020 third-round pick Jordan Elliott. Jackson is the fifth defensive free agent to sign with the Browns this offseason and joins safety John Johnson III, defensive end Takkarist McKinley, linebacker Anthony Walker and cornerback Troy Hill as new faces to the defense.
