Looking for safety depth following the injury to S Mike Edwards, the Buffalo Bills signed veteran S Kareem Jackson to a one-year contract on Tuesday. This came after calling him Sunday night and having him fly up for a physical before getting signed on Tuesday.
Jackson comes to the Bills after a long career that started in 2010 as a first-round pick of the Houston Texans. He has spent the bulk of his career with the Texans but has also spent the last few years with the Denver Broncos. Jackson has been known as more of a physical player as of late, getting suspended a total of six games last season due to illegal hits.
He has a lot of miles on him and several injuries, but the Bills likely signed Jackson as he can hopefully pick up the defense quickly. Jackson can add both a veteran presence and extra body in the defensive rotation as more secondary injuries occur.
Below is Kareem Jackson’s publicly reported injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2010 Houston Texans
Eye, Week 1, missed 0 games.
Shin, Week 10, missed 0 games.
2011 Texans
Knee injury, Week 3, missed 1 game.
2012 Texans
No publicly reported injuries.
2013 Texans
Illness, Week 4, missed 0 games.
Fractured first rib, Week 10, missed 2 games.
Jackson suffered a fractured first rib, forcing him to miss two games before returning. He was forced to miss extra time as the location of the rib behind the collarbone prevented effective treatment of the area or a pain-relieving injection.
2014 Texans
Thigh, Week 3, missed 0 games.
Knee, Week 9, missed 3 games.
Jackson missed three games and had the bye to recover after suffering a sprained MCL against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Back, Week 16, missed 0 games.
2015 Texans
Concussion, Week 4, missed 0 weeks.
Jackson suffered a concussion against the Atlanta Falcons before passing through the five-stage protocol and getting cleared for Week 5.
Left ankle, Week 6, missed 4 games.
Based on the timeline and wording of other reports, Jackson suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was forced to miss the next four games which included the bye. Even when he did return, he was not 100 percent and lingered on the injury report.
2016 Texans
Neck, Week 3, missed 0 games.
Jackson dealt with a neck injury before Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans after being added to the injury report midway through the week.
Hamstring, Week 4, missed 2 games.
Jackson missed two games after suffering a hamstring injury against the Tennessee Titans.
2017 Texans
No publicly reported injuries.
2018 Texans
No publicly reported injuries.
2019 Denver Broncos
Hamstring, Week 3, missed 1 game.
Jackson missed the Week 4 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars after suffering a hamstring strain against the Green Bay Packers.
2020 Broncos
COVID, off-season.
Jackson tested positive for COVID-19 in June during the off-season.
2021 Broncos
Back injury, Week 5, missed 0 games.
Neck, Week 10, missed 1 game.
He suffered a neck/shoulder injury against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9, missing one game.
Back, Week 15, missed 0 games.
Still working through the neck/shoulder injury, Jackson was also limited with a back injury before Week 16. This may have possibly been related to his back injury earlier in the season.
Shoulder, Week 17, missed 1 game, placed on injured reserve.
Pro-Football-Reference shows that Jackson went to injured reserve for the final game of the season and as a transaction but there are no additional details.
2022 Broncos
No publicly reported injuries.
2023 Broncos/Texans
Neck, Week 6, missed 0 games.
Jackson dealt with a neck injury before the Week 7 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, limited the Wednesday before the game.
Injury Analysis
Over a lengthy career, Jackson has suffered a lot of smaller injuries, missing a total of 15 games over his career which is pretty impressive when you consider his position. The most notable injuries are his hamstrings and neck injuries as of late.
Fortunately, he has not had a hamstring injury since 2019 but the neck injuries remind me of how Micah Hyde’s management of his neck injuries has been over his career. This isn’t to say that Jackson is coming in with the same cervical stenosis and disc issues that Hyde required surgery for, but the repeated designations lead to at least the consideration.
Outside of the repeated neck injuries, there are not too many concerns for Jackson as he begins with the Bills. His age is certainly a consideration as to whether he still has anything left in the tank, but the Bills seem to think he does until Mike Edwards does return.
Jackson certainly has the experience to contribute as a depth option for the Bills should he make the team. However, he may be closer to a camp body and using camp with the Bills to not only get the film out there for other teams but to also potentially get in football shape. He will benefit the secondary room with his experience and allow the Bills to have the bodies necessary to practice until Edwards is back and if others go out.
I wish Kareem Jackson the best of luck and to stay healthy.
Top Photo Credit: AP/David J. Phillip
