Throwing Haymakers, Branden Jackson Endures as Key Reserve for Seahawks
SEATTLE, WA - Branden Jackson wasn't supposed to make it in the NFL.
Though he participated in the annual scouting combine prior to the 2016 NFL Draft, the former Texas Tech standout didn't hear his name called. He wasn't immediately signed as an undrafted free agent either, forcing him to participate in multiple rookie minicamps trying to land an opportunity.
Initially, Jackson auditioned at the Seahawks rookie minicamp and wasn't signed, the first of many tribulations he would encounter in his journey towards a career in professional football.
But despite leaving without a contract in hand, Jackson left a lasting impression on Seattle's coaching staff, which helped him catch his first break. The organization steered him towards Oakland, where long-time Seahawks linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. served as defensive coordinator.
"They said, 'if you haven't spoken to Oakland, we have a guy, Kenny Norton, who is there and they're a running a scheme built similar to us. We really like you. You should go there so we can keep an eye on you." Jackson said.
Signing with the Raiders a few weeks later, Jackson spent training camp with the team but didn't initially make the roster. After being waived, he spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad before earning a promotion in December and playing in three games.
Jackson would again receive a pink slip the following September, failing to make Oakland's final roster. But as promised, Seattle had kept an eye on him and when Cliff Avril suffered a career-ending neck injury four weeks later, he latched on with the practice squad.
Just a few weeks later, Quinton Jefferson, who had been re-signed to replace Avril, suffered a broken hand during practice. This left the Seahawks in a major bind, leading to Jackson's last-minute promotion just two days before traveling to play the Rams.
"I was supposed to go into the game to get like seven to eight snaps in a rotation for a quick breather," Jackson recalled. "I ended up getting about 20 to 25 snaps."
Seeing far more action than expected in his Seahawks debut, Jackson finished with two tackles on 21 defensive snaps. Though he acclimated himself well, he remembers being starstruck while playing critical snaps on the final drive of the game.
"It's the game-winning drive and I look left, it's Michael Bennett. I look right, it's Frank Clark. Right next to me is Jarran Reed. I'm like 'how am I on the field right now?!"
Generating three quarterback pressures on Jared Goff during the deciding drive, Jackson and the Seahawks held off the Rams comeback attempt, winning 16-10 in Los Angeles.
Thrilled with his performance, Pete Carroll praised Jackson, calling him the "unsung hero" of Seattle's victory. And the gum-chomping, fist-raising coach didn't stop there.
Calling it his favorite Carroll story, Jackson spoke with reporters a few days later, only to find out his coach had cited him as the "next superstar in Seattle."
"It just blew me away," Jackson laughed. "It was one game, a guy that wasn't supposed to play but they threw me in. I got hot and they let me play, they just let me have my chance."
Showing incredible faith in Jackson, the young defender knew at that point he'd found a home in Seattle and wound up playing in 12 games, registering 11 tackles and two quarterback hits. He's endured several bumps in the road since that point, including being waived before the start of the 2018 season.
But in the face of adversity, the avid boxing enthusiast has refused to stay down when realities of the NFL have tried to hit him with a knockout punch. Comparing himself to heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Jackson came back swinging every time, emerging as a valuable rotational rusher for the Seahawks.
"I feel like I've just been knocked out, then I'm back up. And they're like 'where does this guy keep coming from, how's he keep slugging?" Jackson smiled. "My game isn't flashy, I'm not a flashy person. I'm just a hard-working, blue collar guy from Pittsburgh."
Following a three-week stint on Seattle's practice squad, Jackson returned to the active roster, producing 10 tackles and a sack in nine games. Last August, he climbed another hurdle, making the opening day roster for the first time in his NFL career and setting career-highs in tackles, sacks, and quarterback hits.
As a reward for his efforts, the Seahawks placed an original round tender on Jackson last month. Due to complications created by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he hasn't signed the tender yet, but he's fired up to stay in Seattle and will be taking care of that business soon.
Entering his fifth season, a far longer career than most undrafted free agents are able to achieve, Jackson isn't about to take his situation for granted. Learning from his own personal experiences, he knows how cutthroat the NFL can be.
But after scaling the mountain, if there's one piece of advice he'd offer other undrafted players, it's not to panic about getting cut.
"Being cut, you have to remember there's literally 31 other teams, so being cut isn't anything personal. If you work hard and you're playing and you truly have faith in yourself and you've impressed coaches, they won't shun you. They'll talk you up to another team because at the end of the day, if they liked you once, they can like you again."
Once backed into the corner of the ring absorbing blow after blow, the resilient Jackson serves as living proof being jettisoned by a team doesn't have to be the end of the line. Even when the odds seem heavily stacked against him much of the time, he kept throwing haymakers, showing once and for all he belongs.
