The Dallas Cowboys welcomed running back Darren McFadden back to the roster this week, and in doing so, they waived running back Darius Jackson. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Cleveland Browns had successfully claimed Jackson off waivers. There apparently had been some hope from the Cowboys that they could slip Jackson to their practice squad, but it was not to be.
I bring this up because it turns out the San Francisco 49ers were one of four teams to place a waiver claim on Jackson. Ian Rapoport tweeted that the 49ers, Browns, Eagles, and Giants all placed claims. The Browns have the worst record in the NFL, and so they get the first claim on everybody.
The Cowboys spent a sixth round pick on Jackson, and although he was inactive throughout the season, he got a lot of work in the preseason. Jackson now joins a a Browns backfield that includes Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson, and George Atkinson. My guess is he sees some work these final three games so the Browns can start assessing his value for next year.
The 49ers placed Vance McDonald on injured reserve on Monday, and the offsetting move was to claim Buccaneers offensive lineman Josh Allen. The team then placed Daniel Kilgore on injured reserve on Wednesday, and the offsetting move was to promote interior offensive lineman Alex Balducci from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
Jackson was waived on Tuesday. Jackson might have been an off-setting move for Kilgore, but considering the need for a reserve center, the Balducci promotion made sense. Would we have potentially seen Mike Davis waived? Davis has been inactive five straight weeks now, and there is no reason to think that is going to change. Were the 49ers already set to move on from their 2015 fourth round pick? It’s all speculation at this point, but it’s interesting to consider what that offsetting move would have been to get Jackson.