Ex-QB Tyree Jackson still trying to prove he is an NFL tight end

Tyree Jackson’s transition from college quarterback to NFL tight end has been a long one, with the 26-year-old hanging around the fringes of NFL rosters trying to firmly establish himself.

Could this be the year Jackson finally does that? Let’s continue our player-by-player profiles of the Giants’ 90-man roster with a look at Jackson.

The skinny

Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 249
Opening day age: 26
Position: Tight end
Experience: 3
Contract: Year 2 of two-year, $1.995 million deal | 2024 cap hit: $1.055 million | Guaranteed in 2024: $0

Career to date

A rocket-armed quarterback at the University of Buffalo, Jackson signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He did not make the roster, and soon found himself backing up Cardale Jones in the XFL.

By 2021, he was no longer a quarterback, signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in an effort to make it in the NFL as a tight end.

In two seasons with the Eagles, he appeared in 14 games, catching three passes for 22 yards.

When the Eagles released him at the end of the 2023 preseason, the Giants added him to their practice squad. He appeared in two games for New York, playing 18 offensive snaps without being targeted.

2024 outlook

Even with the retirement of Darren Waller, it is difficult to see a path to the roster for Jackson unless there are injuries.

Starter Daniel Bellinger and reserve Lawrence Cager are back, and head coach Brian Daboll recently called Cager “one of the most improved players throughout the offseason.”

The Giants drafted promising tight end Theo Johnson in the fourth round, and signed veteran blocking tight ends Chris Manhertz and Jack Stoll in free agency. Stoll, also a former Eagle, was ahead of Jackson on the depth chart in Philadelphia.

If Jackson sticks at all, a spot on the practice squad seems most likely.