The Houston Texans made a significant move Tuesday by claiming safety Kareem Jackson off waivers, just one day after releasing him from the Denver Broncos, the team confirmed. In a similar decision, the Texans placed safety Jimmie Ward on injured reserve after Nelonen suffered an injury during Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Jackson, 35, had a mixed season that included two suspensions, the latest of which was a four-game suspension. His behavior on the field led to a two-game suspension for repeated violations of the unnecessary roughness rules.
The first throw came in Week 2 against the Washington Commander when Jackson illegally hit tight end Logan Thomas. Later, in Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, he was ejected from the fourth quarter for a hit on Packers tight end Luke Musgrave, resulting in an initial three-game suspension that was later reduced to two on appeal. In Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings, Jackson took a hard hit on quarterback Joshua Dobbs, dropping his helmet even though he avoided being thrown.
Despite this, the league suspended him four games for persistent violations of player safety rules. Jackson, who spent the past five seasons with the Denver Broncos, is now reunited with Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, with whom he played his first two seasons in Houston. Jackson was originally selected 20th overall by the Texans in the 2010 draft and played nine seasons in Houston. Expressing his excitement about returning to the Texans, Jackson told KPRC-TV on Tuesday, “It all comes together because he spent a lot of time in Houston. I’m very excited and happy for DeMeco and all the success he’s had.
Ezoic Jackson, who has started 69 games for the Broncos over the past five seasons, including eight this year, returned to practice last Wednesday after serving a four-game suspension. Despite being on Monday’s final roster, he was not activated for Sunday night’s 26-23 loss to the New England Patriots. With the addition of Jackson, the Texans now have two of three players suspended for illegal hits this season, joining veteran linebacker Denzel Perryman. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Damontae Kazee is another player facing suspension for similar violations.
