49ers DE out for season

Drake Jackson will be sidelined for the 2024 campaign as he continues to recover from a knee injury. The third-year defensive end has been placed on the reserve/PUP list, per a team announcement. 

Players moved to the active/PUP list at the start of training camp are permitted to be activated and return to practice at any time. The reserve/PUP designation, however, guarantees players are out for the entire campaign, just like injured reserve at this point in the offseason. Jackson’s absence will be felt along the edge for San Francisco.

The former second-rounder was limited to eight games last season due to the injury, and an update from earlier this week noted he would be absent for at least the remainder of training camp. Thursday’s news is a notable step beyond that, meaning Jackson’s attention must turn to the 2025 campaign. That year doubles as the end of his rookie contract.

San Francisco has depended on Nick Bosa as an anchor on the edge, but Jackson was drafted to turn into a full-time starter to complement him. The latter posted three sacks as a rookie, matching that total in the first half of the 2023 campaign. He will face questions about his health and ability to produce consistently once he returns to full health.

The 49ers signed Leonard Floyd in free agency, and the veteran is positioned to operate as a first-teamer in 2024. San Francisco also added Yetur Gross-Matos on a two-year deal this offseason as part of a general strategy to provide relative stability along the edge. Jackson would have been counted on to at least hold down a rotational role this season, so it will be interesting to see if a late-summer addition is made after his injury.

The team has over $52M in cap space, flexibility that could allow for a move in the near future. Anyone brought in at this point will face a short ramp-up period, though, given how close Week 1 is. Jackson, 23, will need to make considerable progress in the coming months as he aims to return to the field next year. His designation created the roster spot needed for the 49ers’ signing of safety Tracy Walker to become official.