Bennett Troy Jackson, Jr. (born September 16, 1991) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He was drafted by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in the sixth round of the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

High school

Jackson grew up in

Hazlet, New Jersey Hazlet is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is located near the Raritan Bay within the Raritan Valley region. It is located in the New York Metropolitan Area and is a bedroom community of New York. As of ...

, where he attended Raritan High School. He recorded 40 receptions for 729 yards and rushed 20 times for 350 yards as senior in 2010. He also played

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

and intercepted four passes in 2009, helping lead Raritan to 8–3 record in 2009. He caught 35 passes for 509 yards with four touchdowns during his junior season in 2008 and rushed 35 times for 267 yards and four touchdowns. He added two passing touchdowns, two punt returns for touchdowns and one kickoff return for a score during his junior season, averaging 38 yards per kickoff return and 18 yards per punt return in 2008. He also competed in track and field as sprinter and a hurdler. He was a specialist in the 110 meter hurdles, he ran a personal best of 13.75 seconds. He also competed in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

200 meters The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

and

400 meters The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

, posting personal bests of 10.82 seconds, 21.73 seconds and 49.36 seconds, respectively. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 61st best wide receiver in the nation. He committed to

over offers from Michigan State, Rutgers and Northwestern.

College career

Jackson began his career at wide receiver playing mostly on special teams as a freshman in 2010. He recorded ten total tackles and had one carry for twenty yards. In 2011, after converting to cornerback in spring practice, playing mostly on special teams and as a backup, he recorded 18 tackles. In his junior season in 2012, he started all 13 games. He recorded 65 total tackles, including one and a half for loss, four interceptions and four pass break ups while playing the entire season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. In 2013, as a senior, he recorded 64 tackles, including five for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two interceptions and three pass breakups.

Professional career

New York Giants

Jackson was drafted by the

in the sixth round (187th overall) of the

. He signed his rookie contract with the Giants on May 19, 2014. He was cut on August 30, 2014 as part of the cutdown to 53 players, but was assigned to the practice squad the next day. In the beginning of the 2015 NFL Season, the Giants announced that Jackson will be moving from cornerback to safety. On August 22, 2015, Jackson suffered a torn ACL in the Giants' second preseason game and missed the rest of the season. On September 1, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve by the Giants. On August 30, 2016, Jackson was released by the Giants.

Baltimore Ravens

On January 3, 2018, Jackson signed a reserve/future contract with the Baltimore Ravens. He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2018. He was released on September 6, 2018. He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 27, 2018. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Ravens on January 8, 2019. On August 31, 2019, Jackson was waived by the Ravens.

New York Jets

On September 1, 2019, Jackson was claimed off waivers by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. He was waived on September 16, 2019 and re-signed to the practice squad.

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

On October 15, 2019, Jackson was signed by the Baltimore Ravens off the Jets practice squad. He was waived on December 2, 2019.

New York Jets (second stint)

On December 3, 2019, Jackson was claimed off waivers by the

. On March 25, 2020, Jackson was re-signed by the Jets. He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 3, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on December 12, 2020. Jackson re-signed with the Jets again on April 8, 2021. He was waived on August 17, 2021. Jackson was re-signed on August 20, 2021. He was released on August 30, 2021.

References

External links

Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Bennett 1991 births Living people American football cornerbacks New York Jets players Baltimore Ravens players New York Giants players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players People from Hazlet, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey