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Seahawks' Branden Jackson Placed on Injured Reserve with Spinal Condition
August 31, 2020
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Branden Jackson will not play during the 2020 season after doctors discovered spinal issues after he suffered an injury during a scrimmage earlier this month.
Head coach Pete Carroll spoke to reporters and provided an update:
"It's a situation where (doctors) don't recommend him playing this season. He really came out of that episode OK, but the testing did show him that he had a physical trait that they want to protect, so everybody has been convinced that the best thing to do is for him not to play this year. I don't know that that's forever, but I do know for right now. He's not injured right now, but he's susceptible—it's similar to situations a couple of our other guys have had in the past. We're erring on the side of long-term health and taking care of our guys."
Carroll eventually clarified the "other guys" he mentioned were Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril. Both of their careers ended because of neck injuries.
Jackson was stretchered off the field following a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked him unconscious during that scrimmage. Brady Henderson of ESPN noted he hit helmets with offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi but had feelings in his extremities and even drove home from the Seahawks' facility after he was released from the hospital.
Carroll told reporters at the time they ended the scrimmage after Jackson was loaded onto a backboard and into an ambulance.
Jackson went undrafted out of Texas Tech but has played in the NFL since 2016 for the Seahawks and Oakland Raiders.
He appeared in 15 games last year for Seattle and finished with 20 tackles, two sacks and two passes defended.